KOTOR: Sith Lords--the Rise of Darth Monikas
by chaddad97
Summary: Sith Apprentice Julienne Qa has just survived a near-death conflict on Taris, and is now seeking a new patron. As she takes on a new master, she finds that her fate continues to be entwined with the Jedi Padawan who helped her on Taris, and her Force visions show her that the two of them may be the key to averting disaster for both her own Sith Empire and the hated Republic.
1. Chapter 1

3655 BBY—Abandoned planet of Taris

With little else to do as she trudged up the seemingly endless flights of stairs, Julienne Qa reflected on the sights she had seen as she passed through the ancient, ruined city of Taris. It was not hard to imagine the grandeur that had once been present in the great domes and tall towers, but she was also reminded that greatness was only one orbital bombardment away from chaos and death. Rogue Sith Lords had done this, though Julienne considered them more rogue Jedi than true Sith who had graduated from the academy.

Her present mission was to lure the Jedi away from the main spaceport so that her master could trap and destroy the divided forces of their enemies. Climbing dozens of floors worth of stairs made her wonder if she was soft for wishing there was a working elevator. It was not the physical work that bothered her; Julienne was no stranger to physical hardship grinding her way through her apprentice Sith training. It was the effort required for a dubious purpose. Did they have to plant the false information so many floors up? Still, she kept an even pace and kept on climbing. Her master had radioed her less than ten minutes earlier and said the Jedi master had dispatched his own apprentice. She wanted to be waiting and rested when he arrived.

Once she arrived at the correct floor, Julienne cast out her senses and searched for other threats. There were rhakghouls, but not close, so she turned on her small hand torch and made her way to the center of the computer banks that made up most of the floor. When she was satisfied that she was well positioned, she turned off the lamp and sat down to meditate and wait for the Jedi Padawan to arrive. Soon, she felt his presence in the Force and knew he had begun to ascend. She pulled her Force signature in tight around her so that he would not know she was there and breathed in and out calmly.

When she sensed him enter the dimly lit room a surprising short time later she wondered if he had run the entire way to climb so quickly. She pushed such thoughts aside and gripped her saber tightly. This was her first encounter with a Jedi of any kind and she intended to finish him and return quickly. Her master was neither particularly effusive with his praise nor prone to punish severely for failure; sometimes Julienne wondered why Darth Fright had taken her on at all. He taught her very little and only used her for jobs he clearly did not want to do himself.

When he was within striking distance, Julienne gathered herself to leap and swing her saber to deliver a killing blow. Instead, another saber met her own and then she was shoved violently backwards while the Jedi leaped away from her.

She smirked at him. Of course he had run away. He was reasonably tall and looked a bit old to still be a Padawan. It was dark to make out much more, but he seemed to be more interested and excited, than fearful.

"Why are you staring, little Jedi? Do you see omens of your death?"

He leaped down from the top of the computer module to face her and as he did his face broke into a huge smile. "A real, live Sith, complete with red lightsaber; how did I get so lucky?"

Julienne frowned. The boy was facing an enemy with a red saber and he looked like a youngling about to open presents for his nameday. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing, you just surprised me," he said. "Now that I know what a Sith feels like in the Force, I will make sure I am not surprised next time."

"There will not be a next time for you, Jedi," she said and she leaped to attack.

He met her overhand strike solidly and the impact sent a shiver up her arm. He did not really look all that strong. Her anger kicked into overdrive when she saw him smiling at her condescendingly. She called up more Force energy and attacked him savagely. He continued to retreat until he was backed up to a row of computers. Then he simply stopped and refused to be driven any further. Julienne poured more and more energy into her attack but he withstood her with apparent ease until he surprised her by switching styles and going on the offensive. The result was that he disarmed her and sent her saber flying into the dark.

She dove after it but he did not chase her to press the advantage. She located it quickly and returned to find him waiting in the middle of the room.

"You were lucky," she said. Julienne's anger was hot now and she pulled more and more Darkside power to fuel her effort.

"Was I?" he said, again breaking into a smile. "Well, it happens."

"What do you find so amusing?" she asked. She hated to admit it, but she was breathing hard and he looked quite relaxed. She needed to catch her breath, so she let him talk.

"I told you … you know, the fact that I finally get away from the Jedi Temple and I get to fight a Sith already. I mean, if I don't die, I will have some great stories to tell."

The boy was a buffoon and she howled and attacked again. Unfortunately, this time he met her stroke for stroke and she knew she was going to tire before he did. She did not want to admit it, but she knew she was not going to win this fight with a saber. She had been working on psionic attacks to disable the mind and she gathered her thoughts to attempt it, but she was suddenly hurled sideways to fly through the air and sprawl up against a large bank of computers. She looked up to see the Jedi dismembering two rhakghouls before turning back to her. This was intolerable. He had tried to save her, protect her from them.

"Why did you do that? I could have dealt with them, and you. You were a fool to not strike me down when you had the chance, or try to, at least."

"I'm just here for a bit of information, girl," he said. She bristled at the name.

"I am Julienne Qa, not girl," she said.

"Well, manners, _finally_," he said and gave a slight bow. "And I am Shemric Norm. I am pleased to meet you Julienne Qa, despite the waves of Darkside Force rolling off you. Who would have thought it?"

"Now you mock me," she said, and reignited her saber. She knew she should have kept her temper better, but the boy was infuriating.

Instead of meeting her attack he simply dove sideways away from her.

"Master, repeat transmission; break off the mission?" he called quickly.

Julienne supposed he was now learning that the Jedi's entire mission was a sham, a trap to lure them to defeat.

"Ah, so you know that you are betrayed here to die," she said, smiling. "My master will be killing your friends shortly."

"Yeah, well, being Sith, you should not trust your own master all that much," he said and then turned and sprinted for the open balcony on their floor.

"Where are you going?" she called and chased after him.

He seemed to be looking for something. He spun to face her as she emerged through the doors to face him.

"What are you talking about, fool? I was sent here to kill you," she said.

"Fighters, targeting this building," he said quickly. "Maybe this floor."

Julienne thought he was just trying to distract her and wondered if she had been closer to winning than she supposed. He disabused her quickly as he easily drove her back inside from the balcony and then leaped away as soon as he was past. He began skipping rapidly along the tops of the computer banks towards a stairway. Unfortunately, another rakghoul was coming out just as he leaped for it.

As Julienne watched his disappearing back, she threw out her Force sense and was shocked to sense several minds closing rapidly with ill intent. She was paralyzed for a moment when she realized this had been a sham for her as well. Her master had never trusted her to do the task; he had sent her away to be killed. Without further thought, she latched onto the Padawan's Force signature and chased him as fast as she could manage. She followed up the stairs but he was leaving her behind quickly and then it did not matter as the building rocked and the stairway around her rained debris and buckled and twisted under her feet. One large piece would have crushed her if she had not use every bit of energy available to her to slow its descent. Even with that effort, it pinned her and she cursed silently, knowing she was about to die.

Julienne had face bad moments all through her Sith training, but none so bad as this. She heaved with muscles and the Force, but she was spent. The pain was bearable; she doubted anything was broken, but she still could not move. When a familiar green glow lit the space above her illuminating the Padawan's face, she looked up in surprise. Had he come back to check on her? Why?

Without speaking to her, he closed his eyes and began to move the slab of concrete that had her pinned. When she was clear, she tried to rise, but could not put any pressure on the injured leg.

"They are coming back," he said simply. "You want a hand?"

"Only in killing my treacherous master," she spit. Her anger at the betrayal gave her enough strength to push to her feet, but she hissed at the pain in her leg.

"I thought you Sith do this kind of thing to each other all the time?" said the boy. She cursed at him in an ancient Sith tongue and he shrugged and turned away.

"Well, I'm leaving," he said.

"Wait … " she called and then stopped. She really did not want to ask him for help but there was no way she was going to be able to jump the fallen section of stairs to continue upward and she knew she had to move. She could sense the fighters were returning. The Padawan lifted her gently across the gap and then resumed his climb.

"Come on, now," he said.

With her lightsaber somewhere in the debris, she pulled out her hand torch again and used a new curse to take each one of the steps one by one. Since she had not been able to keep up when healthy, she certainly fell behind as she limped upwards in his wake. The tilting building did not help her mobility at all.

"Look," he said, "I can probably heal that if you will let me. Otherwise, I do not see how you are going to get out of here."

She stared at him for a good twenty seconds before shaking her head. "Why you want to try is beyond me. I'm still going to try and kill you when I get my hands on another saber."

"Maybe you will change your mind after this," he mumbled. "Sit down," he said. She was going to die if she could not move better than this. She tried to follow what he did when he lifted her foot in the air and felt along the leg. He did…something but it was beyond her ability to duplicate.

"If you would stop thinking such dark thoughts, this would be easier," he said quietly. She cursed him, but he just smiled and so she complied and cleared her mind. After perhaps five minutes, he seemed to be finished and the pain in her leg was gone. Suddenly he fell back, appearing stunned. She stood over him and good have killed him easily, but it hardly seemed fair after what he had done for her.

"Hey, you, what is your problem?"

"My master is dead," he said.

Julienne should have felt satisfied at a plan well executed, but she wished nothing but ill will to Darth Fright now.

The building shook again as another round of impacts hit the tower and suddenly they were sliding toward the yawning gap in the building's side and open air. She flailed about and then felt the Jedi catch her tunic and she swung wildly through the air and managed to catch a railing. The impact of the first building with the second, nearly shook her loose but once it stopped moving, she used the railing like a ladder to access the skyscraper's now horizontal top half.

She nearly made it when the railing broke free and she leaped to catch the edge of a doorframe and then felt the Padawan swing her into the room. He then started burning through a wall and she had to ask what he was doing.

"I'm going over to the other building," he said. "I do not want to go down and find visitors on the ground waiting."

"That is insane," she insisted. "This whole section could plummet at any moment."

"Fine," he called over his shoulder. "Go your own way."

She shrugged as he loped off and she decided to follow. When they reached the safety of the stable building he sat down to meditate. She did nearly leave then, but something held her. She was going to need allies in killing her master and getting off this forsaken rock and he might do. Plus, he hated owing a Jedi anything. When he opened his eyes she remarked, "You seem very capable, Jedi," she said.

"Is that a compliment, from a Sith?" he teased. Julienne scowled and then smoothed her features.

"I find myself short a lightsaber and with a master who is no doubt hunting me at this very moment," she said. "At least three times you have tried to save me, even when it was not necessary. I do not like the feeling of debt. I propose a truce, for now."

"Put it out of your mind," he said. "I just did what I thought was right. You do not need to feel like you owe me anything."

"Nevertheless," she interrupted, "I pay my debts and I shall in this case as well. You were lured here by Imperial double agents in hopes that others of greater importance would come. My master will come for me and together we shall kill him. Then I will help you escape this planet."

"That sounds simple and dangerous," he said. "What are you going to do without a lightsaber?"

"You do not carry an extra, by chance?" she asked. She decided to try a smile. She needed to know if she could manipulate him through physical appearance or touch.

He seemed to regard her more closely for a moment then snorted loudly. "Uh, no, though on a crazy world like this, I might scrounge up the parts. I doubt we have the time to do it with your master coming after us."

"You could build your own?" she asked in surprise. She had been given her saber at the academy and it had been pretty much like all the others she had seen.

"Of course," he said. "but without a focus crystal, it will not matter. Have you ever made a metal blade before?"

"No, not that either," she admitted.

"Well, I have," he said. "There is plenty of duralloy around here. We might make a passable weapon. We better get a move on either way."

She nodded and decided to follow his lead. They moved quickly through the skyscraper and managed to find a walkway connecting to another building, so that when they reached the ground they were several buildings over.

"Can you reduce your Force signature?" he asked. "Make it harder for him to find you?"

"Of course I can," she said. "I have been doing it since you first convinced me my master was trying to eliminate me. He can still find me, but he will have to stop and meditate to get a location and in the mean time I can keep moving."

"Ok, then let us move," he said. "And if you see any machine shops or anyplace that might have precious stones then please point it out. We might be able to cobble something together for you to use."

They descended the long stairway from their building and did not find anyone waiting for them at the bottom. They moved off at a trot and kept to as much cover as the buildings allowed. After maybe half an hour Shemric stopped abruptly and then called for them to take cover.

They ran into the nearest skyscraper. The windows were reflective and still whole, so he hoped they might spot the opposition without being seen. Julienne had armed herself with a steel bar that was roughly the length of a saber and she hefted it next to him while they waited.

Moments later a dropship landed in the square they had just vacated and soldiers poured out, including two wielding red lightsabers.

"Know them?" asked Shem.

"They are just marauders," she whispered.

"Which are ….?"

"Warriors who can fight with the Force but are not deemed capable enough to send to the academy," she replied. Her grip on the pipe left her knuckles all white. "They are strong enough to sense us but not pinpoint our location. They will work themselves into a rage and come at you until you are dead, or they are. Some of them can be quite strong in the Force, just not very ... subtle."

"Great, well, do we run or fight?" asked Shem.

"Oh, we fight; we might manage to steal their dropship," she said. "You are going to have to take the marauders; leave the others to me."

He gave her a hard look. "Now would not be a good time to change sides on me."

She snorted as soldiers approach the building. "I'm on my own side." She nodded her head toward the approaching force. "They are here for me, not you, which means our little alliance profits both of us a bit longer."

He nodded as she leapt through the door and began laying about her with the pipe. It was hardly as effective as a saber, but against soldiers it was good enough and she eliminated the rest of the troops in time to see Shemric staring down at a man he had killed. She shouted a warning as the dropship came in for a strafing run. The pilot brought the craft to a hovering stop and fired at them with its door guns. Shemric charged immediately and the ship started to rise as he approached. A Force-aided leap put the Jedi in the side door. Julienne could only guess that he ordered the pilot to land, but that did not work out and he came tumbling out a moment later. He hurled his lightsaber at an engine pod and the green blade carved into the rotating thruster. As he dropped to the ground, the ship, already banking precariously was unable to clear a pile of wreckage and cart wheeled over and over into the ground.

Julienne quickly retrieved the Marauders lightsabers and now felt much better about their chances, despite the loss of the dropship. "Did I not mention that was our ride out of here?" she said.

"Hey, you have a lightsaber now," he pointed out.

"Two," she said with a smile. She must not have looked friendly to him as he now looked quite wary. She was going to have to practice a winning smile. "But we still have to walk."

"Well, what did you plan on doing?" he asked. "Fly in and challenge your master to a duel?"

"Something like that," she said. "As long as we win, I'll be fine. The other soldiers will take orders from me or at least not stop me from leaving. If we lose it will not matter to either of us."

"Well, I think we need to get underground," he said. "Find a way into the lower levels and work our way back towards wherever your landing field is located. Unless he just decides to leave you here…" said Shem

"Oh, he will want to know I am dead, " she replied. "He does not like loose ends. I do not think we need to worry about being abandoned. And that means when we kill him, we can take his ship."

"Ok, then, let us find a way down," he said.

She just nodded and continued to follow. Her stereotypes about Jedi were turning out to be right on target and completely false. She intended to learn as much as she could before this little side trip was over.

* * *

Their journey through the ruins of underground Taris was both unpleasant and instructive. They had to fight feral dogs, rakghouls, and other wild animals that had moved in after the initial population had perished. Julienne thought she sensed some intelligent beings stalking them, but kept it to herself.

After several fights, Shemric suggested they needed to practice working better as a team.

"I take it you and your Master did not fight together much," he said.

"Are you asking if we fight each other or fight together against others?" she asked.

"The second," he said.

"No," she said. "What is your point?"

"Just observing something," he said. "There is a certain technique to fighting as a pair and it includes not jumping in front of your partner."

"You were slow," she said.

"Why rush in when your opponent is coming to you?" he asked.

"Why stand and wait for the daylight to return?" she said. "Besides, how are we partners?"

"How good is your master? Is he one of your Sith Lords?"

"He is," she replied as she started off again. "Darth Fright is the chief operator and field representative of Darth Mortis, a member of the Dark Council."

Shemric chortled. "Really? He goes by Darth Fright? Where do you get these names? Are you going to be Darth Angry when you grow up?"

Something about his tone made her angry and she spun and swung her ignited lightsaber towards his neck. He did not move and she stopped just sort of hitting him. He was an idiot to think he knew her well enough to let down his guard. She switched off her weapon leaving them once again in the dark. And then she chuckled.

"You have nerve, I will give you that," she said. "You were asking about my mast—my former master before you … digressed."

"Well, if he is any good with a blade and employs all your Dark side tricks we are going to be hard-pressed to defeat him unless we work well together."

"And what do you suggest?" she replied.

"Well, we need to work some basic tactics against him and it seems we have plenty of opportunity to practice down here," he said.

"Again, what are you suggesting?"

Shemric stopped and pulled out a small lamp. He used his finger to draw in the dust on the metal floor. "Like this," he pointed and began to explain. "Whenever you fight two-on-one you want to keep your enemy between you. He will try to do the opposite so he can fight you one at a time. When he attacks one person the other immediately moves to a position where he or she can attack your mutual opponents back. The better you are at centering someone between you, the more that opponent has to divide his attention."

"And you want to practice this before we fight him?" she said. "Let us say that dog-thing was our opponent; in theory I would have moved to your right and made him choose between us."

"In simple terms, yes," he said. "Center them and divide their attention."

"That does not sound too hard," she said. "I will think on it."

They had occasion to practice soon enough when they both sensed something in the dark that was not the normal denizens of the underground. Her master had sent Force-altered dogs after them and they had been hard-pressed to beat them off and kill them, but other than a few bruises, neither of them had been injured.

Over the hours that followed they met other packs of animals, but nothing so bad as those her former master had sent. Shemric was not a talker, or rather, he did not initiate conversations. It was not hard for Julienne to get him to start talking. She had lost track of the time, but on the second night they had found an abandoned apartment that had two exits, both of which could be barricaded. They chose a center room and turned on a small lamp while they ate, mostly food Shemric had been carrying. Shared between the two of them it did not do much to calm the gnawing monster in her stomach.

"You are not what I expected, when I imagined a Jedi," she said into the silence.

"Well, I hardly expected the first Sith I meet to be quite so attractive," he replied. "I imagined you all with your skin falling off and your face melting from all that dark side energy."

The nearly scowled and shook her head, but stopped. "So I managed to keep you alive against hunting dogs and Sith soldiers and the trait on which you remark is that I am cute?" she said. "How typical."

"Well, I am a boy and I notice girls, even if I am not supposed to," he said. "And you may have your story a bit twisted around, at least the way I recall it."

"You sound confined," she said. "You wish to express yourself in a certain way and your order prevents it."

"No, my good sense prevents it," he said. "It just happens to be frowned upon by other Jedi. That hardly matters since they have been frowning at me since I showed up on Coruscant the first time." She did not ask the obvious question, so he just went on. "I arrived at age twelve, about six or seven years later than they prefer."

"Better to brainwash your students young," she commented. She was surprised when he did not seem offended.

"Yeah, something like that," he said. "What about you? Is there not a Sith school on Korriban?"

"You have no idea," she said. "Korriban is mostly a wasteland; I went there when I was seven," she said.

"Were your parents happy about that?" he asked.

"What does it matter if they were happy about it," she barked. He raised an eyebrow but she quieted her temper quickly. "They resisted. They were fools."

"Fools to not want their daughter taken away?" he said. "That sounds like good parenting to me."

"They had been hiding me for several years since I started showing signs of Force-sensitivity. The Empire frowns on that sort of traitorous behavior."

"Of course," he said ironically, "one family is not important when the greater glory of the Empire is at stake."

"So why did your parents let you go then?" she said in angry tone. "How was it any different?"

"They sent me because of a Force vision," he said. "They were both Jedi before I was born."

She whistled. "That is a new one on me. Jedi having babies. They must have been popular." This Shem did not look like a normal representation of the Jedi Order. Maybe that was why she found him so kriffing interesting.

"Oh, not so much," he admitted. "My father was a Knight and my mother his Padawan. He was twelve years older and rather young to take a Padawan, but difficult times and all that. That is all I really know. No one in the Order seemed particularly happy to talk about it. Given their attitude, I was shocked when the Council let me enter training."

"So why did they?" she asked.

"Because there was a war on, and I know how to use this," he said, touching his lightsaber. "My parents started training me when I was five before I had even imagined they were Jedi. Not with a real lightsaber; it was just a wooden rod or other things, but it was effective enough." They were silent for a time before Julienne took up the conversation.

"I am not going to tell you how my former master fights because he will expect it, perhaps, and I do not want you doing things based off my words," she said. "I will tell you this. He is very strong in the Dark Side and will try to finish things quickly. He does not jump around like some of you Jedi and he attacks relentlessly until one of you is dead. He will not use lightning on you unless he thinks it will kill you in one fatal attack. I have never been able to watch him while he fought multiple opponents. I cannot really offer much help. All alone he would crush me in about a minute." She sat quietly for a moment before admitting. "You might last a bit longer."

"We better be good then, because you are my ride off this rock," said Shem.

"Yeah, with a lot of luck," she admitted.

"So far, so good," he replied.

She snorted and then turned away. This was not going to turn out well. Even with two of them they were going to be slaughtered by Darth Fright. She decided not to dwell on it anymore and quickly fell asleep.

Neither of them noticed anything unusual that night and the third day of their alliance "dawned" much as every other day did, with a few beams of light breaking through occasional battle damage. Their food was gone and all of these levels must have been scoured clean by the survivors of the bombardment before they starved or moved elsewhere. Neither of them could see themselves eating anything they killed, so they trudged off with empty stomachs and sour thoughts. Fighting her former master on short rations seemed a very bad idea.

"He is waiting for us," she announced when Shemric asked if she could still sense him.

"Us?" said Shem. "Do you think he can sense me as well?"

She snorted derisively. "To a Sith, you are like a splinter in one's finger; sometimes you forget it's there but then you sense it again when you go to pick something up. He can tell I am here and will put two and two together."

"Wonderful," Shem mumbled.

"Why would the Sith or the Jedi come here after all these years?" came a voice from the shadows.

How someone could have snuck up on either of them was a mystery, but they both spun to face a rugged looking man, who stood with his back against the closest wall. In the dim light of their lamp, they saw he was holding a military-grade assault rifle and was wearing body armor that looked worn but in good repair. The weapon was not pointed at them and Julienne did not ignite her saber, for which Shemric was thankful; he doubted the man would have been happy to see a red Sith blade.

"How are there inhabitants on this planet?" asked Shem. "It has been abandoned for hundreds of years."

"We were shipwrecked," said the man, "and no one bothered to come looking."

"That is not why we came, either," said Shem. "I came here for another reason."

"This one stinks of the Dark Side," said the man, pointing at Julienne, "and you smell like a Jedi. How is it that you travel together?"

"A matter of necessity," said Shem.

"Speak of this necessity and we may aid you," said the man, "…or kill you."

Julienne knew they were surrounded but kept silent. Any survivors were not going to be at all happy to meet up with Sith.

"My master was killed two days ago and I have no way off this planet," Shem explained. "Her master has betrayed her and she is marked for death. Perhaps together we may slay him and escape this place."

"And you trust her?" said a woman's voice off to their left. "That is foolish, Jedi boy."

"Yes, well, she had not let me down yet," he said. "My options are quite limited."

"So she would kill him for survival and you for revenge," said the first man.

"Not revenge," said Shem. "Also survival. And he is a Sith Lord and likely hunting us. We will meet eventually, I suspect."

The man nodded to himself as if confirming something.

"Our chief wishes to speak with you; perhaps one of you, perhaps both, I do not know," said the man. "Do you wish to come?"

"Are you giving us a choice?" said Julienne, speaking at last.

"Of course," said the man. "We saw the carnage of the devil dogs. The two of you are quite formidable and we would lose many of our number in an attempt to force you."

"We will come then," said Shem. Julienne did not like this at all, but kept quiet.

It turned out the group were survivors from some sort of Jedi expedition from years earlier. However, they still did not trust her and met with Shemric alone while she waited outside. In the end the ragged group gave them food and shelter and they were able to sleep well without worrying about getting attacked or eaten. With a full stomach and the survivors guiding them, they set off in the direction the spaceport where her master was waiting.

True to their word, the ragtag group of undersurface dwellers led them right out where they had a good view of the landing platform and the Sith Infiltrator.

"My Master knows we are here," said Julienne. She was looking down at the platform. "He will be waiting."

"Good luck, then," said the first man they had met back undercity, who had led the escort. "One less Sith Lord is never a bad thing." He smiled when Julienne frowned at him and then disappeared.

"Well, no sense waiting for him to send someone after us," said Julienne. She began to walk down the mountain of debris toward the foot of the platform. They were as ready as they were ever going to be and further waiting would only fray her nerves. As she had expected, her former master was waiting for her.

"So, my failed apprentice, you return and with a Jedi for an ally that stinks of kindness and light."

"You mistake me, master," said Julienne. "I brought him to you, to do with as you please." She had no intention of doing any such thing, but she wanted to test Fright to see if he might take her back. The Jedi backed away from her and took up a defensive stance.

"So you think this will bring yourself back into my good graces," said Fright. "Fine. Then kill him for me and we shall see."

"I fear he is beyond my skill, master," said Julienne.

Her master snorted loudly and then stepped out of the shadows.

He was tall, but no taller than Shemric, though much broader. He wore no armor but his black clothes and had a long-handled lightsaber in his hand. She would have liked to see Shemric' face at her master's appearance. She expected he would be petrified, but instead he let out a nervous giggle.

"No wonder they call you Darth Fright; decent people probably run from the sight of your face in terror," said Shemric.

"You think to mock me?" said her master in surprise.

"No, I was simply observing that your face looked like a mud pie I once left on the back step of our home," said Shem.

With her master clearly distracted by the Jedi, Julienne looked at Shemric to see if his mind had become unhitched. She reached out to his thoughts and sensed more than a bit of panic, determination and even a hint of desire to avenge his own master's death.

Clearly Darth Fright was not amused as he approached Shemric. "I would threaten you with all manner of harm, youngling, if I thought you would last long enough to make it worth my while. If your master's skill was any indication, this should only take a minute." Fright attacked then and was surprised at the sparks that showered him when his red blade met Shem's silver.

Julienne started. He had not had such a blade earlier and wondered if he had received it from the under dwellers they had met. The sparks did not bother Shemric, but Fright stepped back with a howl. Fright attacked with lightning then but Shem was not surprised and grounded it out on his saber.

"If your master had such surprises up his sleeve, he might have survived; then again, probably not. He was not very skilled at combat. I was not impressed," said Fright.

"Master Keddis was a skilled negotiator who stopped many conflicts before they ever started," said Shem. "He was never known for his martial skills. Do not congratulate yourself too much for defeating him." The Sith and Jedi were now circling and Julienne wondered why Fright was holding back.

Abruptly the Sith stopped his side pacing and attacked again, the series of blows driven by anger, which pulsed around him like a hot furnace. She watched Shemric fall back into Sorensu. He survived, but he was clearly straining and Fright was pounding him relentlessly, despite trying to deflect the silver sparks.

Suddenly Shemric was blasted off the platform and she saw him flip gracefully in the air until her former master caught him with Force lightning and he dropped out of sight.

Julienne was instantly on the ready, thinking that her master would try to dispatch her now if that was his intent, but Fright walked toward the edge of the platform and then tried to blast Shemric with sheet lightning when he leaped back into sight. It passed over the young Jedi but Fright was on him in moments. The fight would be over in quickly and Julienne found her legs moving of their own accord. When Shemric was knocked onto his back, Fright drove a strike to finish him and Julienne pulled as much power as she could manage and blasted Fright with lightning. He managed to block it after a moment and then turned his baleful glare on Julienne, promising death to his apprentice.

"So you wait until I am tired and weak, my useless apprentice," said the man. "Typical. You were never meant for greatness. All those instructors went on about your potential … bah … wasted." He leaped then, but not towards her. Shemric managed to get his feet under him and parry the Sith Lord's blow but it was on unsteady legs. Julienne rushed Fright and the techniques they had practiced underground worked to keep the more powerful Sith off balance.

Twice they were blasted back as Darth Fright tried to create a moment of rest for himself, but she could sense Shemric's fatigue and desperation and they both re-engage immediately. The third attack combined the blast with electricity and Julienne felt herself tumbling over the permacrete before coming to rest.

She pushed herself up only in time to block her former master's strike and then she could barely keep the next attack and the next away from her. Julienne knew she was finished and was surprised when Fright turned suddenly away; Shem had returned and Julienne fought through fatigue to counterattack. They held their own until Fright punched Shemric in the face.

The Jedi staggered back with blood streaming from his face and fell over on his back. With one opponent down, Fright turned back to her and began to rain blow after blow onto her guard until she was driven to one knee. He knocked her blade aside and she knew she was dead. Instead, Fright leaped aside as a flash of silver flew past. She collapsed on her side just as Fright blasted Shemric with lightning. She met the boy's eyes when he came to rest and sensed the regret and apology that they had not managed to succeed.

Fright walked over to him and picked him up off the ground. He appeared to say something to the Jedi, but it was too far away for her to heer. Suddenly Fright stiffened and dropped the Jedi before falling to his back on the permacrete platform. She had no idea what had happened until she noted the small knife sticking out of her former master's neck. Julienne lay back and closed her eyes. Somehow, they had survived. For her part, she was not sure she was not going to pass out.

Moments later, she felt a touch at her neck and she groaned and reached up to grip Shem's hand.

"I …do not think … that went … very well," she said. She rolled off her side to look up at him. "How is it that you are alive and him dead? I saw you throw your blade and him blast you with lightning. That was silly. The throwing part."

"He picked me up and asked if I wanted to be his new apprentice," said Shem. "He brought me in close and I killed him with a hidden knife from a wrist sheath." She closed her eyes and blew out a deep breath.

"So now I have you to thank for being alive … again," she said. "This is intolerable."

She lay on her back and closed her eyes. This Jedi boy had put her even further into his debt than she had been in the beginning.

Shemric barked out laughter and staggered to sit down awkwardly.

"You still have to fly me off this planet. Then we will be even again."

"We will never be even," she groaned and tried to sit up. "You will keep getting me in trouble and then claiming you had to save me from it." She managed hands and knees and then pushed herself up. "We need to move. Who knows what orders Fright left for his people. A single trooper with a pistol could take us both."

"Speak for yourself," he said. Shemric groaned loudly while standing. "Maybe two troopers with pistols." She grunted and almost smiled as she staggered over to the Sith Infiltrator. When she keyed in the entry code it was hard not to laugh when the door slid open.

"He did not even change the code," she mumbled. "I wish I could have laughed in his face just once before he died." The Sith ship was twice as large in the hull as a Penetrator and functioned as a private craft for many Sith Lords. It had two piloting seats but could be flown by one person and was more heavily armed than a Penetrator while being less maneuverable. The main cabin held bunks for four and seats for two. Julienne sat and efficiently brought the craft's engines up to speed.

They took off without anyone questioning them and then circled once; Julienne targeted her former master's body and burned it to a laser-charred crisp. One more pass and only a dark stain was left on the landing platform. She piloted the ship smoothly out of the planet's atmosphere and then punched in coordinates that would take them out of the system and on their way to a place she could leave the Jedi to find his way home. After jumping to hyperspace, she made her way back to find the Padawan.

"Well, we are on our way to Bonadan," she said. "You should not have any issues finding a ride back to the Core from there."

He nodded thanks and appeared to be pondering how he would get back. "I have a medkit here," she offered as she pulled a trunk down from a shelf where it was attached. "Let's see what we have wrong with us." She told him to remove his armor and robes and prodded him until he obeyed. He had several burn marks on his arms and side that she could not help so she pulled his shirt over his head against his protests. She was not particularly gentle, nor was she rougher than she needed to be.

"No wonder I could not catch you running up those stairs," she said. "You are all skin and bones wrapped up with a little muscle here and there." Julienne could sense his thoughts easily now and his self-consciousness at being shirtless in front of her made her smile. He met her eyes and then he was thinking something entirely different. She reached across and put her hand on his arm in a completely different way. His skin was cool and he shivered once without being able to look away. "Thank you," she said. That was all. He looked at her long enough that it was her turn to feel uncomfortable and she looked away.

When he was patched up as well as they could manage, she started removing her own robes until she had stripped down to a black, skin-tight bra top and compression shorts, whereupon she shooed him off the bed and began to direct him where she needed help. She tried to look nonchalant, but suddenly she wondered if toying with him like this was really a good idea. By the time he finished rubbing salve into some of her saber burns, his face was a bright shade of red.

"That was nicely done," she said. "I admire your focus." She smiled at him and decided to see if she could play him a bit further. He tried to back away but there was no space to do so and she tugged him by the belt until his thighs bumped against hers as she sat on the edge of the med-bunk.

"Does not the gallant prince get to claim his kiss from the damsel he so fearlessly saved?" she asked in a quiet voice. Her hand snaked up his arm, behind his neck until she grasped his hair and pulled his face down toward hers. She had never practiced this before, but he seemed to be mostly paralyzed while kissed him. It was not hard to pick up his thoughts then and so she continued until his hands started moving over her person.

After a few moments, they both came up for breath, staring at each other and breathing hard. Without a word they shared a look and as if by some Force connection or just an understanding of the other's feelings, they stopped abruptly, looked away and then parted quickly. Shemric grabbed his shirt, robes and escaped the confined space.

Julienne sat by herself, breathing hard and wondering what she had been thinking. She knew seduction was one way to extract information and there were Sith who used it quite effectively, but she was not sure that was what she had been doing. She had to admit to herself that she had enjoyed his touch and the hunger she had sensed in his thoughts. Well, it was just as well that they both had stopped when they did. She made her way forward and checked on their progress and then sat, not speaking for a time before finally breaking the silence.

"I am not going to tell you I am sorry," she said. "I have always been a little curious, but the opportunity never really presented itself."

"That was what it was, an opportunity?" he said. He sounded a bit sulky, but she supposed he had reason. She gave him one of her derisive snorts. "Oh, stop. Do not get all offended. You enjoyed that as much as I did and was equally caught up in the moment."

"Then why did you stop?" he asked in a more neutral voice.

"Because I realized it would have meant more to you than it did to me," she said. "I was curious; you were ... more emotionally involved. You have feelings for me."

"I see," he said. His thoughts told her he was not offended and actually respected her for not taking advantage of him.

"Do not be too offended," she said. "It is not that I feel nothing for you. I respect you a great deal. You are not what I thought I would find when I first met a Jedi. Your motivations are not simplistic and you are not an idiot. You have given me much to consider."

"So come back to Coruscant with me," he blurted.

She chuckled and he started to bristle before she laid a hand on his arm. "I'm not ready to give up all for which I have worked on an infatuation with a Jedi who is supposed to be my enemy. I would rather we part as friends, Shem. I have not had one of those since I was taken from my home."

She sensed how surprised he was and realized that it was the first time she had said his name out loud. For a short moment they regarded each other she projected some of her feelings of loneliness. The moment passed quickly and she moved to withdraw her hand. Shemric quickly covered it with his own.

"It sounds like Sith Academy and Jedi Temple are similar in at least one way," he said. "I have many acquaintances, a few mentors but no friends there either."

She met his eyes again and nodded.

The stars passed by at faster-than-light but neither of them noticed.

* * *

Bonadan was at the very end of the Hydian Way and had numerous major spaceports from which to transfer. Julienne had picked the one noted for the most passenger transfers and set down among hundreds of other private ships.

"And are the Sith so common here that no one is going to notice your ship?" asked Shem.

She snorted. "Nobody cares out here. Profit is all that matters to these people. This is the Corporate Sector."

Before leaving, Julienne rummaged through the equipment lockers until she found some old coveralls for them to wear. She put on hers and then took some out to Shemric in the cockpit.

"Sith are more common than Jedi here, but I do not want to look like either one, so change," she said.

They trudged off into the massive spaceport looking like two under aged workers. After asking a couple of questions, they ended up in a third-hand clothes store where Shemric found some clothes that fit. Julienne found him the cheapest ticket available all the way back to Coruscant with only one transfer at Brentaal and then walked him to his gate and gave him a handful of credits.

She nearly walked away then, but felt an odd sense of sadness. Shemric was the closest thing to a friend that she had had since she had begun at the academy. Before he could say anything, she kissed him soundly. Hopefully to strangers it only looked like two lovers soon to be parted for a long separation.

She smirked at the surprised look on his face when she stepped back. "It has been a pleasure meeting you Shemric Norm. I am not sure this makes us quite even, but it is the best I can do for you in exchange for my life several times over."

"How about another kiss?" he blurted.

She snorted in genuine surprise but quickly re-engaged and kissed him more thoroughly than the first time. She thought their technique might be improving.

This time though she shoved him back. "Now go on, you incorrigible Jedi boy. And do not force me to cut off your parts the next time I see you."

"Like you could..." he teased.

She gave him her best imperious Sith look and turned back to disappear into the crowd. She knew he would be fine without her and now she had her own problems. He was sure to receive a warm welcome on his return to his order and the same was far from sure for her.


	2. Chapter 2

3652—Coruscant

The capital of the Republic offered its citizens anything that money could possibly buy, other than a little elbow room, and Julienne had spent enough time here over the past three years that she felt very comfortable striding down its walkways. Living here at the center of the government, commerce and military of the enemies of Julienne's Empire had gone a long ways to convince her that the Empire would prevail in the end. Coruscant was rotten, and not underneath as most of the citizens who lived on the upper levels would tell you. The part that stunk was right up on the surface where money trumped right and wrong and no one's conscience put in any overtime. Julienne knew she was grossly stereotyping the people here, but stereotypes sometimes had a basis in truth.

Lord Darkmund now spent very little time here as she delegated more and more of her taskings to Julienne. It is not something that Julienne herself would have ever done. Darkmund thought that by staying close to Acina she would curry more favor and gather more power to herself, but Julienne felt as if the opposite was occurring. She often reported directly to Lord Acina now and it was clear to Julienne that Darkmund was little more than an intermediary.

For the first year after taking on a new master, Julienne had spent most of her time with Lord Shiloh who had proven to be an excellent, if limited, master. Shiloh's skills leaned heavily towards the martial aspects of the Dark Side and Acina used her as a scalpel to cut out and remove her enemies and the elements of the Empire the senior Sith Lord deemed expendable. Lord Shiloh freely shared her methods with Julienne and trained her much as Lord Acina had intended, though the apprentice was never sent on solo missions. They spent very little time on Dromund Kaas, which suited Julienne just fine.

After that first year, Acina had recalled her to begin her intelligence gathering training with Darkmund. Eventually, they had both gone to Coruscant, where Darkmund maintained an apartment and an identity. Six months ago, Darkmund had stopped coming to Coruscant and left most of the work there to Julienne. Once free to operate on her own, Julienne had learned that her latent psionic abilities made her especially potent at interrogating her targets without them knowing why they were giving up information. The more she practiced, the easier it became to manipulate the thoughts and actions of others around her, especially the men who had begun to find her attractive as she grew and matured.

At the moment, Julienne was heading for the lower levels to meet with Darkmund for the first time since the Sith had left to return to Acina. Most of her taskings came via a secure channel that was maintained by a Sith Inquisitor who had lived on Coruscant for more than twenty years. That Darkmund was here meant something had changed. Julienne rarely risked taking her lightsaber anywhere, but today, it was hidden in a large shoulder bag along with robes and appropriate shoes. Her chic attire allowed her to fit in without notice on the surface, but go down too many levels and it made you a target.

Julienne started when she noticed a Jedi walking towards her and carefully pulled her Force awareness tightly about her. There were a trillion people on the planet and not really that many Jedi, but they seemed to pop up more than Julienne would have liked. This one passed her without even looking her way and she relaxed slightly as she moved further away.

Eventually, once she was a good distance from her apartment, she took public transportation to the general area where she was to meet Darkmund and then descended several levels until things started to get dark. She found a dark side-alley, filled with trash, and changed out of her surface attire. With robes on now, she put her lightsaber on her belt and then waded back out into the crowd. She was tall enough now that no one would thing she was a child, as long as they did not see her face, and she had learned that walking with a certain arrogance repelled the curious and predatory. If you acted like you owned the place, no one messed with you.

Descending several dozen more levels and she had to use a public map at the junction of two streets to find her way. She could vaguely sense Darkmund now and knew that she was close. Julienne ducked into a side alley and made herself small in the Force. She sensed a Turning Point and quickly sought one of her unique Force-visions to guide her.

As it always seemed to come, the time stream dumped a deluge of images and feelings on her that were impossible to isolate or follow. A moment later she steadied herself. Darkmund was here to kill her. Of that she was nearly certain, but the motive for it was very vague. If Acina wanted her dead, why not send Shiloh? She thought she could hold her own for a bit against Lord Shiloh, but ultimately, the older, more experienced Sith fighter would prevail. Darkmund, though, was not even close to the level of warrior that her Sith compatriot was. Perhaps that was the point. It was another of her master's tests. If she could defeat Darkmund then the Sith Lord was expendable and Julienne would take her place as a … not a Sith Lord, surely, but certainly Acina's agent on Coruscant.

The meeting reordered itself in Julienne's mind. This would be a fight to the death and that was how she must approach it. Striding out of the alley, she stalked down the corridor and began to draw on the Force to augment he senses and movement. She turned a corner and came face to face with Lord Darkmund, who was standing melodramatically in the middle of a long hallway with a high ceiling. Even as she entered the space, she sensed beings closing in behind her. It had never occurred to Julienne that Darkmund would never finish the apprentice herself. Instead of creating fear, it boosted Julienne's confidence. The Sith Lord did not think she could easily dispatch the apprentice.

Julienne bowed slightly. Let Darkmund think that she did not know what the woman intended.

"Apprentice Qa, Lord Acina has sent me here to make an accounting," the Sith began. "You have been allowed great freedom to work here and your efforts have been found wanting. I am here to end your apprenticeship." The woman did not smile. Julienne had never felt like Darkmund had cared enough about her either to like or dislike her.

With battle about to be joined, Julienne felt a sudden need to warn the older woman. "I suspect you are the one who has been found wanting, my Lord Darkmund. I have been reporting directly to Lord Acina for most of the past three months. She has never questioned my work. She has sent _you_ here to die." Julienne did not reach for her saber yet. She needed some doubt to percolate through Darkmund before the fight began.

The younger Sith was a lot more accomplished at gleaning thoughts that the elder and Julienne sensed the woman's sudden doubt and fear. It was apparent the older Sith already suspected much the same. When Julienne spoke the words it immediately sent of spike of doubt through the older woman. For a moment, Julienne thought she might discuss it. She seemed on the cusp of asking Julienne a question before pride won out.

"You are an arrogant fool with an over-inflated sense of your own value and abilities," said Darkmund. She ignited her red blade.

Julienne sighed and turn on her own weapon. She was not sure what she expected, but now this fight had only one end. Instead of engaging the woman blade to blade, Julienne spun and ran at the semi-circle of men at the end of the hall. She could not see their faces, but their body language registered surprise. A moment later one opened fire and she directed the bolt back at the man who had fired. He howled and fell while the others opened up. Two of the men went down when their own blaster bolts were deflected back into their bodies. Two others fell to Julienne's saber. The fifth threw himself on the ground and pled for mercy. She dissected his weapon and kicked him in the head, but did not use her lightsaber on him.

That moment of mercy nearly cost her as Darth Darkmund crashed against Julienne's defense and she was beaten back by the older woman. With surprise no longer an issue, the fight became more even and then swung in Julienne's favor. She pressed the older Sith back to the wall and then leaped sideways and attacked her with lightning. Darkmund was not prepared and did not entirely deflect the blast of light and energy. Julienne hurled a piece of debris at the other woman's head and the Sith just managed to avoid it, but not the follow-up red blade that passed through her chest. Julienne withdrew and stepped back to look down at the woman as she fell. Instead of triumph, she saw the face of an annoying Jedi boy in her mind. A boy who showed her mercy when he could have killed her. Any triumph she might have felt melted away with the memory of his face. She bent over and took the woman's saber and clipped it to her belt. Just as she straightened, a blaster bolt illuminated the dark of the tunnel and struck her in the arm.

Julienne howled and danced sideways to avoid the next one and then ran impossibly fast at an angle from the shooter and ignited and hurled the blade she had just taken from Darkmund. Guided by the Force, her aim was true and the man cried out and fell to the ground. She walked over to retrieve the saber and started when she realized it was the man she had let live. He had crawled over and taken another man's weapon and tried to shoot her. Julienne shook her head. Let that be a lesson to her on the end result of mercy.

Julienne retrieved the weapon she had thrown and then checked to see that the other men who had attacked were dead. She had no desire to search them, but she did a thorough job it anyway and then went through Darkmund's effects; it was disappointed to find nothing of use. She left the carnage behind and began the ascent to the surface. She had a report to write.

* * *

Once she arrived back at her apartment, Julienne determined that she was not going to write a special report to pass on the details of Lord Darkmund's demise. Either Acina would contact her, Shiloh would arrive to finish the job, or Julienne was going to wait until the next scheduled time she was to report to Acina. She suspected today would hardly be the last mess that she would be forced to clean up for her master.

The laser burn on her arm hurt horribly and she did her best to clean and bandage it without going to a doctor. That would require her to answer a lot of unpleasant questions. They had nothing but some basic over-the-counter painkillers, but she took twice the normal dose and tried to sleep. By the next day, she had a message in her communications box that was the signal for her to contact her master.

Communicating via the Sith Inquisitor was always done in the same way. He owned a very nice house outside the main government center and she always had to use public transportation to travel there. It usually took all day for a conversation that lasted only a few minutes, but there was no use complaining. She brought a delivery of something each time, usually flowers or some sort of food items and was then shown into the secure room which she locked from the inside. And then she waited. She was fairly sure her master made her wait just because, but today the opposite was true; Acina's face appeared on the screen the instant she powered up the equipment.

"Master Acina," she said, bowing.

"I expected a report yesterday!" she said severely.

"I have no new information and it was not the regular day, master," she said. "I do not understand." Just for a moment Julienne thought that Acina looked confused. Maybe Julienne was getting better about schooling her feelings and lying to her master. She did not do it often but this was more of game. Not a safe one, though. After the confused look, Acina's face clouded up.

"Darkmund reported to me shortly before she left to meet you, girl," said Acina. "This little charade is beneath you."

"Oh, you mean the Sith Lord and her cronies that you sent to kill me," said Julienne neutrally. "Well, that did not work out very well for them."

Acina gave her a dark look. Julienne was sure she was about to claim she had given no such orders, but then the Sith laughed. There was humor in it, but it was dark and unpleasant.

"Well-played, my apprentice," she said. "Your skills grow, as I intended. I have a new task for you." Julienne nearly grimaced. There would be no compliments on her survival or mourning of a previous minion lost; Acina was back to business. "You will plan and execute an interrogation of Senator Trandin of Toprawa. He has been taking payment from the Empire for some time now, but has stopped reporting. We want to know why. And if he tells you he does not wish to continue then persuade him to change his mind."

Julienne said nothing again and waited until Acina became angry.

"Are my orders quite clear, apprentice?!" she shouted.

"They are, master," she said in a neutral tone. "Senator Trandin of Toprawa. Interrogate and persuade."

When she said nothing further, Acina scowled and nodded.

The transmission ended.

Julienne had been correct on all counts. It had been a test. She was now Acina's chief agent on Coruscant. And she was being trusted with a possible assassination. Her visions had shown her truly once again. She retrieved her package, nodded to the inquisitor and left the house for the long ride home.

* * *

With the demise of Lord Darkmund, Julienne's area of assignment began to widen considerably. Lord Acina's influence was spread all throughout the planets of The Core and Julienne traveled extensively to worlds that were as varied as their inhabitants. She studied the art of disguise and altering her appearance and soon learned that she could be almost anyone she chose. Of course, being young and attractive, it was not hard to distract and interrogate most men without trying very hard at all, but she worked just as hard at the tougher task of questioning women who did not respond to her feminine charm.

This was not to say that she did not make mistakes, but she learned over time what mistakes she could survive and thrive and which ones would get her caught or killed. On Coruscant, she almost never used direct action. The law enforcement was too good and she too inexperienced to hide from them for long. As she operated in other Core worlds or even into the nearer regions of the Colonies and the Inner Rim, she knew she could bring in the threat of force as a tool to accomplish her tasks. A disappearance there would not have the same impact as in the Capitol.

Occasionally, she was tasked with running backup to Lord Shiloh and those missions almost always involved direct action and were mostly run within the Empire. The older Sith had actually proven to be the closest thing to a friend that Julienne had ever had since leaving her home. The woman was almost without ego and did not feel at all threatened by Julienne's rapidly-increasing skills and strength in the Force. She was a willing sparring partner who pointed out weaknesses in Julienne's martial efforts and was not overly harsh in her criticism. It was so different from her other interactions with Sith that she finally commented on it after one mission they had completed together. They were returning from Bandomeer where they had destroyed a troublesome pirate nest together and Julienne asked why Shiloh was different.

Lord Shiloh was a stout woman, stronger than Julienne but not particularly attractive. Her face was neither kind nor unkind; most often it wore a blank expression. When she turned to Julienne, her mouth quirked into a near smile. "I had a little sister who would be your age about now, if she had lived. You look nothing like her, but you sound like her. When I look away I can almost imagine that she grew up and turned into someone like you."

She looked away before Julienne could register any surprise in her face and it was the only bit of non-business that they ever shared together. It came as a shock when, nearly a year later, Lord Acina blithely mentioned that Lord Shiloh had been killed in an action on Serenno. Julienne experienced a moment of … well, something. It might have been sorrow but she had spent so long schooling those feelings that it was difficult.

The result was that Lord Acina now used her for both direct action and intelligence gathering, such that she spent a great deal of time flitting back and forth along the Hydian Way, gathering information from the Core Worlds and eliminating threats in Sith space. She enjoyed a great deal of independence that way, but felt as if she was being pulled in two different directions. This lasted for upwards of six months, before she received a brief message saying that Acina had found a replacement for Lord Shiloh and Julienne was to remain in the Core until further notice.

Without so many interruptions, her intelligence gathering in the Core increased in effectiveness to the point where she was approached by two different Sith Lords to leave Lord Acina's service and take on a new master. Neither had been done in person and both must have been instructed to eliminate her if she did not agree because each offer had ended in a fight. Both had been proffered by apprentices like her, and both had been men who did not take her as a serious threat. She taught them the error of their ways and after the second fight, she decided that it was time to report the incidents to Lord Acina. She went through the process of contacting and traveling to the Imperial Inquisitor and delivering flowers to his home.

She arrived with the delivery to find the Inquisitor waiting for her with a look of anticipation on his face.

"Come in quickly, my dear," he said. He was always unfailingly polite, but rarely looked as nervous as he did now. "Lord Acina told me to send you in as soon as possible."

Since Julienne had initiated this communication, it was a surprised to find that her master was waiting for her. Within seconds of sitting down, Acina appeared on the screen.

"I require your presence back in the capital immediately, Apprentice Julienne," she said without preamble. Julienne must have registered surprise, but nodded immediately. "Now, Julienne, what did you wish to tell me?"

Julienne launched into an account of first one, then the second incident with the other Sith apprentices, described the offers and recounted how she had dispatched both men. After completing her report, she sat quietly while Acina regarded her. Finally her master spoke and it was with great surprise that Julienne realized she was being commended.

"You become dangerous, my apprentice, and valuable," said Acina. "And yet, despite the offers you remain in my service. Might I ask why?"

"Lord Acina, I do not wish to be known as a Sith available to the highest bidder," said Julienne truthfully. "Plus, I did not sense that either Lord really wished to gain my services so much as they wished to deny them to you."

Acina nodded. "I am sure you are correct. I provide the council with a great deal of information that you provide me. I suspect they have finally worked out where it is coming from. Not many Sith have proven quite so adept at operating in Republic Center." Acina shook her head as if she regretted what had to be done. "I will need you to brief your replacement when you return to Dromund Kaas. Do the best you can to set him up for success. I have something more important for you to do. I do regret withdrawing you, but there is no one else. Come as soon as possible."

Julienne nodded and the transmission cut off. Change was always an opportunity for growth but she wondered what this change meant to her. She had not attempted to access her visions for some time and wondered if that was because she had not tried, had not needed the guidance, or she had become stagnant here on Coruscant. Whatever the case, her time here was done. She thanked the inquisitor for all his help and informed him a replacement would be sent, took her leave and returned to her apartment quickly. She packed all her chic Coruscant attire and sent it to a storage location for a potential return. She left the apartment for her replacement and then travelled to the spaceport within twelve hours of receiving the summons.

On Bandomeer she reacquired her Sith trappings and saber and then booked passage to the capital from Telos. She had spent a great deal of time meditating on the trip and yet, nothing came to her, so she departed for Dromund Kaas with no more idea of the future than any other person would have. It did not comfort her at all.


	3. Chapter 3

3650 Dromund Kaas

Julienne sat in a private compartment in the shuttle and pondered what this sudden summons to the capital might mean. She had been busy throughout the Republic for the past year and had not reported in person in all that time. Being recalled to the capital could mean a lot of things. Even that she was being granted Lordship, though she really doubted that. She was still young and female, neither of which were in her favor.

If not that, then what?

She had been gone so long that she no longer kept an apartment in the city, so she decided there was no point in waiting and took ground transport directly to Lord Acina's fortress where she was ushered in without hesitation. Then she had to wait for the better part of an hour before the Sith Lord emerged to greet her. It was not exactly affection she showed her young apprentice, but she certainly seemed pleased to see Julienne and brought her in and requested food be brought. It reminded Julienne of their first meeting together, except that this time Julienne ate and Acina spoke.

"Are you aware of the trouble on Balmorra, Julienne?" she began.

"Only in rumors, Lord Acina," said Julienne. "They say that there is an active rebellious element that has not given up since the Jedi departure. A local leads the guerrilla efforts and he is unusually adept at keeping his identity secret."

"Lord Jyric has been tasked with weapons manufacturing on Balmorra and he has been entreating the council with more troops to go in and crush the locals," Acina continued. "I have endeavored to block him so as to force him to work with what he has. Balmorra not only makes weapons, but also mines a great deal of the raw materials from their own planet. Some of the mining operations are remote to the capital and thus open to insurgent activity. One such group has been very active and there are rumors there is a Jedi in charge; perhaps the same Jedi that led a battalion out of a very cleverly planned trap back when we pushed the Republic off the planet. I want you to go there and eliminate him."

"The Jedi?" she said. She had been sent to assassinate Acina's enemies often enough, but they had generally been Sith. This was a change but certainly something that Lord Acina's new enforcer could have easily accomplished. Why send Julienne?

"I sense your question," said Acina. "I am sending you because, should the opportunity present itself, you might alternatively join the insurgent movement and create more havoc for Lord Jyric."

That made sense to Julienne and she assumed this was Acina's play for more power on the council. "Do I have a timeline on this?"

"You don't need to be in a rush," said Acina, surprising Julienne. "I would think it should be easy enough to report to me periodically since Balmorra is an Imperial planet.

There was a lot of leeway being given to her on this mission and Julienne suspected a lot of political machinations that were in play as well. This could make or break her but something told Julienne that a life-nexus was approaching and something on Balmorra was important to her. She asked a few more questions and then excused herself.

Julienne stayed the night at Acina's fortress but did not see the Sith Lord again before she left the next day to begin planning her trip to Balmorra. That nexus was appearing imminent in her mind and she wondered what was so significant that she could sense it so obviously. She left for Balmorra less than a week later, happy to be out of the capital and on her way to whatever the Force seemed to be directing her to find.

3650—Balmorra

Julienne let the flow of water over her wash away her frustration as she stood in the shower for a long time. She had rented a room in the Imperial capital after attempting to infiltrate yet another rebel camp only to find that the leader she sought was not there either. She had been here for nearly three months and accomplished nothing. Reporting to Lord Acina would only bring recrimination and she had no desire to hear it. She needed something else.

When she had agreed to this task, she had never imagined that it would take so long to find her objective. This was boring, tedious work and whether she liked the implications or not, living on Coruscant for so long had conditioned her to the comforts provided by civilization. Beating the Balmorran backwoods for a rebel leader she suspected was a rogue Jedi had proven to be much less exciting than she had hoped.

As usual, the visions took her when she was deep in thought, relaxed and pondering her future. She trembled and lost consciousness while the endless possibilities filled her subconscious mind until leaving her suddenly. Julienne shivered delicately as she sat crumpled up in one corner of her still-flowing shower. The cheap hotel she had frequented did not have much of a water heater apparently, because the water from the head above was flowing quite cold. She reached up and shut it off before rising carefully and smiling. The Force had provided her with a path and she knew something interesting was coming soon. She dressed quickly, packed her things and checked out to the surprise of the clerk.

Julienne left the capital city and began to travel the public transit lines as far away into a remote mountainous region as they would take her. She stayed at the last city on the line to work an unpleasant labor job in order to gather as much information as she could before attempting to infiltrate the rebel recruiting system yet again. Fortunately, the rebel cells appeared to have no contact with each other, so there was no chance of her earlier attempts being reported. It was another two tedious weeks before she was able to leave with the newest batch of recruits, and that timeline had only been possible because she could glean the thoughts of those around her and pick out people who supported the rebel infrastructure from within the cities, providing supplies and even munitions at times.

She found herself on a truck with a number of men and women, bumping along a mountain road unable to see out. She assumed this was how they kept their hiding place secret from the Imperials, but Julienne knew roughly where it would be located based off of the Imperial mining facility that was located in those mountains. It made sense that this band of insurgents needed a base somewhere nearby in order to harass the Imperials.

They descended from the truck underground and were taken individually and questioned rather thoroughly about their background and motivations. Julienne's carefully crafted backstory had held up through three similar interrogations and she had no trouble subtly influencing the mind of her interviewer so that he was satisfied with her responses. It was not until the group of a dozen or so new recruits was brought out for inspection by another that the problems began.

Julienne's group had been lined up for inspection and this new man, to whom the others clearly deferred, stood back and eyed them up and down for some time before nodding. When they were led off through a different doorway, only Julienne was politely asked to step out of line just before she was to pass through the door. The soldier who did it looked grim-faced and he was holding his weapon less casually as he led her back to step in front of the senior commander who had just okayed the others in the group.

"Tell me again your name, recruit?" he asked.

"Juli, sir, Juli Remor," said Julienne. She was not sure if she should meet his eyes and be bold or look down and be deferential.

"Well, Juli, I have someone I would like you to meet; please follow me," said the man. He spun and marched off in a different direction and she followed with two troopers as escort. She studied the man she followed from behind and became more sure the deeper they traveled into the compound that he must be the local commander. Even more thrilling, she began to sense the whisper of another Force-user in the vicinity. This was why she had come all this way; to assassinate the Jedi that was causing some much consternation to her Imperial masters. She did not have a lightsaber, so meeting him and learning a bit about him would be important.

She was told to wait outside what appeared to be an underground hangar bay, but when she was finally bid to enter, it was mostly empty except for some random storage containers and a desk, a bed and a couple of metal lockers that must have held the belongings of the man sitting behind the desk. This was definitely the Jedi she was hunting, but the closer she came, the more the sensations she was feeling became familiar.

When the man—boy?—looked up, it was all she could do to control her facial expression, so she looked down as quickly as possible and stared at the floor while the commander introduced her. The man laughed loudly and his commander flinched.

"Something funny, sir?" asked the commander.

"No, Commander; well, not in a humorous sort of way," Shem replied. "Just in the 'Is not the universe odd?' sort of way. Go ahead and leave her with me, Commander. I'll decide what to do with her."

"Do you know her, sir?" asked the commander.

"Yes, I know her, Commander," he admitted.

Julienne's mind was racing ahead of itself now, considering possibilities and revaluating plans. If Shemric was the Jedi then there were other options available to her than assassination as long as he accepted her into his service. The commander looked very uncertain, but nodded and left the room. Shemric reached in one of his pockets and set a sound-dampening device on the table before motioning her to come closer.

She brushed the hair back from her face and discarded the downtrodden look she had adopted. Neither of them spoke, as if they were weighing the other on a balance scale. Finally, Shemric broke the silence."You are home late, sweety," he said. "I expected you hours ago."

"Work has been busy lately," replied Julienne and decided from the thoughts she gleaned from Shemric's also-racing mind that he was not going to try and kill her. She may as well start the way she intended to continue. Some of the parts of her vision made much more sense to her now. She sidled around the desk without an invitation. She thought she sensed him tense and then relax so quickly that it was barely perceptible, but he was as nervous as she. Fortunately, years more of Sith training along with more than a few attempts at seduction had prepared her better for this than the last time they met. Shemric stood and held out his hand, as if to shake in greeting, but she ignored it and leaned in close to kiss him firmly on the lips.

He responded with more enthusiasm than she had expected and when they finally broke apart, she had to try hard not to sound a little breathy. "I'll try to call next time if I am going to be late for dinner." He laughed loudly and then enveloped her in a crushing hug.

"Your presence in the Force is very small, Shem," she said. "Have you been learning new tricks since we last met?"

"Well, it has been five years," he said. "And I can barely sense you at all, so it seems like we are both becoming adept at hiding who we are."

She stepped back from his embrace. "And I should not be surprised you are a leader here on Balmorra, causing my Sith Masters so many headaches," said Julienne.

"And you are the assassin sent her to eliminate me," he said.

She smiled then and dropper her Force screen. He did the same and they both reached out and felt the other's aura or whatever her Sith masters might have called it. He was not the scrawny Jedi she remembered. She smiled at him again.

"I must admit," he said, now returning her smile, "I am not displeased to see you again. So what are we to do?"

She started just slightly, at his reading of her thoughts or feelings, probably. "Oh, I think we can reach an agreement that both sides will find more than acceptable," she said.

She attempted to glean his outmost thoughts and it appeared that he knew dealing with her would be risky. "You are correct," she said. "I was sent here to eliminate you, if necessary, or to join you if the conditions were ripe."

"Meaning?" he asked.

"Meaning, if I could get you to trust me, I could create a little more chaos here to the benefit of my Master at the expense of one of the other Council members," she replied.

"Sith political machinations," he said. He did not sound happy about it.

"Of course," she said and smiled again. "So, _do_ you trust me?"

"I trust you to be Sith," he said.

"Excellent," she said. "Then will I be joining you?"

"Unless you have a lightsaber hidden somewhere on your person and you are ready to proceed with your assassination attempt," he said.

"No, but you are more than welcome to search my person," she said. It was not hard to sense that he was having plenty of non-Jedi-like feelings for her and she intended to use that to her advantage. His face turned red at her tone. She knew she could manipulate him that way and she laughed. "Besides, I underestimated you last time we met and you turned out to be quite deadly. I would not want to try and kill you unless I was sure I would succeed." She winked. "The facial hair suits you," she said. "You do not look quite so gaunt."

Shemric ran a hand over his chin. His beard was not all that impressive, but she did not think he would respond well to criticism so early on.

"Well, it comes in patchy and the beard looks silly," he said. "You look well. Other than needing a bath."

"So what do you intend to do with me?" she asked. His sendings were bordering on open lust for her person now and it was hard to block out.

"I need good scouts," he said. "When I really need to learn something, I generally go by myself, but my officers hate that, so now I have a viable alternative."

"Your men are going to wonder why you are putting your trust in a newcomer," she said. Being a scout would be a perfect cover and allow her the freedom to come and go as she pleased. She wondered if he knew it and was facilitating her. Julienne would be a fool to think that he trusted her completely.

"Not at all," he said. "I intend to tell them you are an old … acquaintance. One whom I trust with my life."

"That's touching," she said. "But how are you going to explain that an old acquaintance just happened to come looking for you here on Balmorra? And what if _your_ superior starts asking you questions?"

"I do trust you with my life. As for my boss, well, we do not really communicate much these days. He works his fight and I, mine. He has his hands full near the capital."

"The legendary Saint Jiub?" she said. She had not really come for the other, but any info on him would be welcome. Not that she expected Shemric to provide any. "We hear things," she said, "but he is like a ghost and no amount of money can get us close to him."

"Does that mean I was the next best thing?" asked Shem.

"Sort of," she said. "We heard things about you, too, and that is why I was sent. You, we thought we might be able to find."

"That makes sense," said Shem. "I am not quite as paranoid as he is. And I could never spend my life in a cave. Well, I will have Commander Neord get you outfitted, situated and then report back to me."

"Just like that?" she said.

"Just like that," he said.

She stood looking at him for a few moments. "You know I am going to do something you do not like before this is over?" She had no idea why she had warned him. It just came out, but now that she had said it, it felt right. They were never going to get anywhere without at least a little honesty on her part.

"I assumed so," he said.

"Then why?" she asked. She was standing close enough that she could sense his presence in the Force with little effort. Sifting through his feelings was not easy; there was a lot going on in his mind right now. . Finally, he chuckled at her consternation. "Because, for the last three years I've just been existing. As soon as I saw you walk in, I knew my life just became much more interesting. For that, I'm willing to put up with a little betrayal and backstabbing."

She gave him a very serious look. "You know I would never stab you in the back," she said.

Shemric just looked at her for a few moments before replying. "Of course not," he said. "If you stab me, you will want to look me in the eyes when you do it," he said quietly.

"Exactly," she said. She gave him a smile that put a defensive look on his face but only increased the feelings of desire he was projecting.

"Fair enough, Julienne," he said. "Let the games begin."

Shemric used the Force to ring a bell by the door and Commander Neord entered quickly and with his hand on his sidearm. Upon seeing them standing calmly, he relaxed and stopped.

"Commander Neord, Julienne has volunteered to be my personal scout," said Shemric. "Please take her and get her the gear she needs for that mission. Also, as such, she has complete access to my person day and night as need be." He turned back to Julienne. "What name did you give them when you arrived?"

"Call me Juli," she said.

"Juli it is then," Shemric said. "Commander, normally the Scouts have been given the rank of sergeant, but in this case, we are going to make her a lieutenant. However, she takes orders from me, but she does not give orders to anyone unless I have expressly assigned it for a specific time and mission."

Julienne could tell that Commander Neord did not like the unorthodox arrangement.

"Once you are equipped, come back and see me and we will get to work," said Shemric, addressing her directly.

"Yes, sir," said Julienne. She put a little irony in the words and Commander Neord bristled at the tone, but Shemric met his eyes and shook his head slightly. The Commander nodded and turned to leave. Julienne winked and followed him out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

If you had told Julienne that she was going to end up spending nearly two years on Balmorra, most of it with Shemric as an insurgent scout, she might have wondered what had become of her life as a Sith apprentice. Had you told her that it would take less than two weeks for her to seduce Shemric into becoming more than friends, she might have been a little shocked. It turned out that his Jedi reticence did not extend to the things they did together and to her surprise, she found she enjoyed the physical intimacy as much as he did. It all came to a head two weeks after the attack that had destroyed the mining facility that had been the target of this particular insurgent cell.

He had called her to his office and when she arrived, she saw that it had been mostly cleared of any obstructions. She entered his space quietly and he was kneeling in meditation. He set the bar in the door using the Force, flicked on the sound suppressor and only opened his eyes when she stopped two paces away.

She gave him her best winning smile which he returned with enthusiasm. He held out a simple lightsaber that floated through the air until she put out a hand to hold and ignite it at the same moment. She withheld a grimace at the green blade that emerged.

"The crystal is a special one that will sting and shock but not cut or penetrate," Shem explained. "I find it quite useful in training." He stood quietly and ignited his own blade.

"Are you not worried that someone will find out what I am?" she asked.

"Oh, my lovely _Juju_, I find myself worrying less and less with you around," he said. "I am not sure if that is good, but I have missed sparring with a real partner."

She smiled again and clipped the lightsaber to her belt before shrugging out of her uniform and then kicking her boots off. "You only get to give me a nickname if you defeat me in combat," she said. She rushed him immediately and Force-leaped at him with tremendous speed, sword coming down hard. He did not even move until she was right on him and he repelled her as violently as he was capable. She had not expected _that_.

She turned her flailing fall into a graceful flip and landed on her feet. She should have known he would not be what she expected and he had just confirmed it for her. Now she knew she was really smiling. When she started toward him the second time, it was a more measured pace and it was his turn to rush her. The swirling maelstrom of blades would have made a spectacular light show had there been anyone else there to witness it.

She attacked with her most aggressive form of Djem So and he simply sat back and deflected her with Sorensu. The harder she attacked, the more relaxed he appeared, as if it took no effort to defend against her. She stopped smiling soon and now she was more determined than ever to defeat him.

Suddenly, he met her attack solidly and pushed her away before shifting instantly into Makashi and attacking her in return. She gave ground slowly, not as comfortable in defense, and she grimaced and then snarled at him when her back bumped into the rough cave surface and she pushed violently with the Force to move him back. He rode the blast and flipped easily; she formed lighting and caught him mid-air with a blast that sent him flailing across the room to bump hard against the opposite wall. She Force-leaped across the room and met him as he came to his feet. She thought she had him then until he kicked her in the stomach.

She staggered back gasping for air and tried to beat off his counterattack but she lost her saber soon and then he struck her a stinging blow to the neck. He ended it with a sharp flick and her saber flew away to the side. He struck her across the neck and shoulder with a stinging blow. She stood paralyzed for a moment. Something about the young terror across from her was not what she had expected from the cringing, if capable boy she remembered.

"You have changed," she said. It was the first time she had spoken to him without teasing since she had come. She laughed and looked down at her stomach. "That may leave a bruise."

"Is my hair smoking?" he asked.

She gave him her most inviting smile. "Maybe a little. I have learned a few tricks myself."

"Indeed," he said and her lightsaber flew across the room to her hand.

"Well, then," she said. "First blood goes to you. Let us see how the next bout goes."

She held the unlit saber for a moment reached out to throw a box at him from the dark corner. At the same moment she leaped toward him with her now burning lightsaber. She swung at his head but he dropped so quickly that the box she had moved hit her instead. She sprawled awkwardly as he rolled into her feet, tripping her. Before she had recovered he leaped back at her and kicked the saber out of her hand. She kept rolling and tried to pull it to her but he was quicker and slashed at her exposed hand that was reaching for the weapon.

Julienne knew she was losing her temper and she attacked him with her hands and hissed. It did not matter, he struck her neck again and the pain of it made her howl. She stopped dead and took hold of herself.

"I guess I am dead," she said. She was still angry, but not showing him respect had only resulted in multiple defeats at his hands. "You _have_ changed."

"So you seem to keep saying," he nodded.

"Well, I like it," she said and her practice blade flew to her hand. "Best three of five?"

"Try to keep up," he said and this time he did not wait, but flew at her in Makashi, engaging her blade with short, quick strikes to keep her off balance. Halfway across the hall, she stopped backing and tried to kick him in the knee. He moved his leg to the inside and hooked her foot to pull her off balance. Instead of fighting the fall, she rolled and slashed at his ankles as she fell, forcing him to leap over her blade.

Instead of leaping away, he Force-pushed himself in the direction of her roll so that he came down on top of her. She tried to push him away, but he still landed on her with an expelling of air from her lungs. He rolled away and let her recover.

_Kriffing Jedi clown. I am going to pound you into the cave wall. _

She pulled on the Dark Side energy she felt in her anger and tried to blast him with lightning. It was far more powerful than she had ever conjured and when it touched Shemric, she wondered if she had lost her temper and killed him. Then he did a thing she had never before observed; he reached out a hand and accepted it into him.

For just a fraction of a moment she thought he was illuminated and then he brought his hands together in a great clap of air that blew Julienne off her feet and sent her flying uncontrollably toward the far wall. She had no control and she would have impacted the wall and broken something surely, except his mattress suddenly appeared and cushioned the impact. She bounced off the wall and fell back to the floor, feeling dazed.

She could sense him rushing across the hall, and she had no desire to be on her hands and knees when he arrived. She pushed up and gave him a surprised expression. "I have never … " she shook her head. "What did you do?"

"Lightning is simply a manifestation of Force-power converted to light energy," he said. "I took it in and converted it to something else."

She crouched there watching him for a few moments. "You are not really a Jedi anymore, are you?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I am not really sure. I mean, the Jedi exist to protect the people of the Republic, and I do that, but I just do not really do it in a way that will make other Jedi very comfortable. They are very regimented."

Julienne snorted loudly. "Regimented … hmmph." She came to her feet a little unsteadily and he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. She could feel his Force-probing and waited for him to finish. "Well, am I all right?"

"You are going to have a few bruises, Juju," he said.

"I am sure," she said, scowling at him. She had said he could nickname her if he defeated her. "But nothing else?"

"Not that I can tell," he said.

"Good," she said and reached up to pin his hand against her shoulder while pulling and falling backwards. Julienne had spent some time training at grappling during the academy and she quickly gained control until she had him pinned face down on the bed mattress that had hit the wall and fallen to the floor. His left arm was pinned and she was controlling him by his right arm and wrist that she had twisted behind his back. She leaned down very close to him to whisper in his ear. "I was beginning to wonder if I was going to beat you at anything," she said. "I should very much like to train with you, Shemric Norm."

"I am too young to take on a Padawan," he said. "Well, actually, I'm not anymore, but I am not even a Knight and you would not make a very good Jedi, anyway."

"Probably not," she said and let go of his arm. The wrestling that followed was very much more enjoyable than the first kind and from then out, she had slept with him in his 'office' as much as she had slept in her own assigned bunk.

* * *

Her job as a scout turned out to be a perfect way for her to execute the intent of Lord Acina and she did her best to disrupt the activities of Lord Jyric on Balmorra. Most of the staff did not seem to trust her, but some of them were at least friendly and she felt more a part of a group than she ever had in the Empire. This odd army of insurgents had taken on the characteristics of their leader, himself a very odd Jedi.

It took a while, but she finally managed to piece together the entire story of Shemric saving the battalion and his jump from an airship in near-orbit had that had become the stuff of legends to his men. Every one of them believed they would have died that day without his intervention. Listening to their tale, she was not sure that they were not correct. Learning Shemric had been a complex task, aided somewhat by his desire to put his hands on her person at every opportunity.

Julienne had been a little shocked when they had learned that their intimate connection had allowed them to sense each others' thoughts with such detail that they could communicate without speaking. It was extremely useful as they perfected their technique. Julienne knew that he was not her equal in the psionic-Force manipulation that she had used to good effect as an Imperial spy. She taught him a little and helped him to develop psionic defenses that she knew he would need later. Of course, explaining how she knew it would have been difficult, but her visions had returned and they often showed her the way when she was in doubt.

As the months passed, she began to wonder how this adventure with Shemric on Balmorra was going to change her. She talked and shared things with him she had not been able to pass on since she had been ripped from her home. Their relationship, which had been comfortable and exciting and illicit in the beginning had become something that she was not going to be able to forget or put down when she left Balmorra and went back to her Sith masters. She suspected he wanted her to tell him she loved him and continued to be disappointed when she did not. What she felt for him was so complicated she was not sure she could have explained it.

In part, there was physical attraction and mutual satisfaction in their intimacy, but that was a small part. She treasured their often brutal sparring sessions even more and pushed him hard in ways that often evoked anger and resentment from him. His training methods allowed for mistakes and they made them together and they continued to improve in ways she suspected other Sith or Jedi alone could not have achieved. He even turned out to be an expert in the manufacture of lightsabers.

She arrived at his office in their new base one day to see that he was fiddling with some components. "And what is that you seemed to be constructing?" asked Julienne as she walked into his office without knocking. His desk that was normally covered with papers was now covered with lightsaber components.

"Oh, just a little something to keep me occupied when I am bored," he said. Then she noted something amid the clutter and reached for it quickly.

"What is this? Are you thinking about changing sides?" she asked. She had picked up a red, presumably synthetic crystal that had to be intended to create a red Sith blade.

He snorted. "Hardly, it was supposed to be a surprise but since you are back early and barged in without knocking you may as well see the result." Shemric Force-assembled some of the components that were lying on the table until a beautiful lightsaber hilt came together around the red crystal. She reached and took it out of the air. It fit in her hand like it had been made to go there. She started though when she realized it was missing something.

"Uh, it does not seem to have an actuator," she noted.

"Not on the outside," he said. He was smiling like he expected her to figure it out.

She concentrated on the components in her hand and realized that it had an internal actuator. In a moment, a crimson blade of plasma shot out and began to buzz.

"That is clever," she said and gave him a direct look. "_You_ are clever."

"Well, if she does not find you handsome, at least she should find you handy," he mumbled.

"Maybe I find you both," she said. He sniffed and went back to the thing he had been working on. After a moment, she asked, "How is it that you can make a crystal that is Sith and for someone else?"

"The color has very little to do with the properties of the blade; it is not Sith, or not-Sith," he explained without taking his eyes off the piece on which he was fiddling. "I could make one for you that was pink and it would still do the same things." He lifted an eyebrow to her. "You would not like pink?" She grimaced. "No, I thought not, so I made it your traditional Sith red. As for how, well, I know you fairly well by now. I put the essence of you into the crystal."

"Colored by the way you see me," she pointed out. He still not seem to accept that she was really a Sith and had random ideas that she was not eventually going back to the Empire.

He shrugged. "Perhaps, but I think not. It was really the way you _feel_ to me in the Force. You are an odd balance of Light and Dark. I find myself changing to match you the longer we are together."

Julienne flourished the weapon several times before the blade disappeared. "Does it bother you that I might turn this against Jedi in the future?" She knew it did but did not really want to admit how much she could read of his surface thoughts.

"Of course it bothers me," he said, "but you and I, we are … " he searched for the word.

"…linked," she supplied. She was glad that he sensed what she had noted from the very beginning. She suspected they had something to do together, as odd as that would be for a Jedi and a Sith.

"Yes," he agreed. "We have something to do that has nothing to do with Jedi or Sith, or perhaps everything to do with them. I humor myself to think that the Jedi will have an agent among the Sith, but you might say the same; both of us may be correct. Why? Well, that escapes me, but discounting feelings because they cannot be explained ..."

"… is a bad idea," she finished for him. She had seen things that would probably disturb him and she always kept them to herself. She knew he knew it, and accepted it, but he did not like it.

"So what else are you doing there?" she asked after she stashed the saber in her pockets. "Are you trying to make a pike, or … what?"

"It is meant to be a projectile weapon," he said. "Watch." He brought the piece of his project together until they resembled a short spear. He picked it up by the end and put it over his shoulder. "So you hold it in some sort of shoulder-mounted arrangement and then…" he took the handle quickly and whipped it over his shoulder to hurl at a target he had set up that was made of steel plating from a destroyed armored vehicle. As it left his hand it ignited and a short blade emerged as it streaked across the room and buried itself in a steel plate. When it ran out of momentum, the energy of the blade continued to cut through the metal until it fell to the floor where it lay humming until Shemric called it back to his hand.

She was impressed. He seemed so calm and … satisfied, in many ways that martial innovations were hardly what she expected from him. "May I?" she asked. After half a dozen throws, her accuracy was perfect and she asked if she could keep it.

"That is sort of my prototype," he said.

"Well, have you worked out the bugs?" she asked.

"I think so," he said. "But I do not have any components to help me manufacture them, so I have to shape them all using the Force."

"You can shape metal with just the Force?" she asked in surprise. That was not a common talent, either.

"I can; it is very time and energy-consuming," he said. "It is a lot easier if you have a metal shop that specializes in building lightsabers."

"Will your talents never cease?" she said, impressed. "Well, you look like you need some exercise, so put that down."

Shemric did not even have a saber, really, just the two throwing blades he had been building, and so in the instant that she leaped for him, he pulled the second together and brought both of them into his hands in time to cross them above his head to prevent her from slicing his desk in half. Surprising him was one of the more enjoyable parts of their relationship. Mostly because he tended to do some very odd things when she did it. This was no exception as he leaped over her head and spun in the air to land in the middle of the room.

She attacked him with her new blade and drove him back, using the advantage of her long blade to good effect. She finally managed to knock one of the short blades out of his hand and twisted to aim a strike at his neck. Shemric threw up a hand at the last moment and used his forearm to knock aside the blade. She did not intend to hit him, really, but he reacted as if he thought she would and blocked with his forearm. She burned his arm and she felt his anger explode out of him in a form of a half-shove, half-lightning attack that blew her across the room and sent her skidding along the floor.

When she came to her feet Shemric was retching at the pain of the burn and she felt his nausea and shock. He eventually stood and walked over to his desk and opened a drawer with a med-kit. He pulled out a burn dressing and carefully wrapped it around his forearm and then used tape to make sure it stayed.

"Shem?" Julienne could sense that he was keeping his thoughts close but his temper was still right there on the surface, boiling. When he turned to her, he punched the door lock on his room and the sound neutralizer and then reached into his desk for his own practice saber. When he turned to Julienne, his face was a mixture of pain, anger and something she did not recognize. "Shem, I am …" she did not even finish. She was really bad at apologizing; it was not exactly a trait you learned as a Sith.

"Shall we try again?" he said. His voice felt cold and Julienne was very uncertain of what was going to happen. Well, she had earned this, so it was time to see it through, even if it meant a beat-down; she ignited her new red blade. He attacked relentlessly then and she backed up, relying solely on Sorensu, which she had only really ever practiced against him. She had improved at it, but today something in Shem's anger was feeding him and giving him a new speed and power she had not experienced.

Despite her best efforts, he struck and shocked her three times in the first few minutes. Julienne was not sure it was the pain or her pride that was more wounded as she tried to fight back and fell short. After the third time, she started to get angry and his smile only fueled her resentment. She did not manage to strike him and he could not get to her, either. For the most part, they matched blade against blade with very little outside use of the Force.

They went on long enough that Julienne started to feel fatigue set in and her anger had long since subsided. She held up a hand to stop. When they did, Shemric released his tight hold on his thoughts and she felt the throbbing pain of the burn. _I am sorry, Shem. I cannot claim that I knew it was only a practice blade. I wanted to beat you as I always want to win. That was … reckless on my part. _She approached him and met his eyes. _We are such a pair, sometimes; neither willing to give a centimeter. I _AM_ sorry._

She sensed that he was very surprised that she had actually apologized.

_I suppose one must expect these kinds of things when you are involved with a Sith, he _said_. And I deserved your anger. We simply have different expectations. I see that you will not be exactly the woman I want or expect, but you are … " _He stopped and shook his head. The Force-sensation she received was nearly overwhelming in his respect, admiration and love for her. It was not something she had felt from anyone in such a long time that she felt her eyes glaze over in tears and had to take several deep, gasping breaths. She closed her eyes on the sensation and did not know if she should shun it or revel in it.

When she opened her eyes again, she gave him her best smile. She crossed to him and pushed him, none too gently, toward the bed.

Later she commented that his burn might leave a scar unless he healed it himself. _ I may leave it to remind me of today, he noted. We managed new heights of foolishness and success. _

_Hard training is never foolish, she chided. _"Tell me more about this new lightsaber you made for me," she said quickly.

Shemric reached out and called the blade to his hand from among her clothes. It slapped his palm in a satisfactory way and he separated it into its components above them on the bed. "See this here," he said, pointing to a crystal that was such a deep red it was almost purple.

"Why are there two crystals?" Julienne asked immediately.

"Because this saber has the ability to switch back and forth between a practice blade and a normal one—with a few other perks. See the switch here." He twisted it and then reassembled the hilt before switching it on. When the blade flared, it was definitely a darker shade of red than the one before and he handed it to Julienne.

When she took it in hand, Julienne thought that if felt … right. There was something else going on as well. "What did you do? This thing feels … not exactly alive, but …" she stopped and concentrated for a moment. It made no sense but she felt like her Force awareness was increased. "What is this doing?" she asked finally.

"I do not know how to describe it other than as a lens, of sorts," he said. "It focuses the Force on one side and amplifies it out the other."

"This is amazing," she said. "It feels, different." Julienne tossed off the covers and jumped out of bed without even turning the saber off. She stepped lightly in bare feet and began to work through several forms with the new weapon. It felt different, like she was able to strike with more power. "You have changed the properties of the blade, somehow."

When she turned back to Shemric he was looking at her with that dazed expression like he had been smacked a little too hard in the head. She sighed. It was nigh impossible for Shemric to focus on anything when she was around him sometimes so she waved her new saber for a moment to get his full attention. "Focus here for a second," she said.

He shook his head and looked away, before looking back to meet her eyes. "I think I increased the kinetic energy of the blade. It still feels like it is light in your hands but as you accelerate it, it gains kinetic energy faster and strikes harder."

Julienne shook her head. There were times that she wanted to shake him with his naiveté and his wishes for a perfect world where everyone got along; it was a simplistic view and not realistic. And then there were times when he did something like this—improved upon a design upon which others had worked for thousands of years-and did it in a cave with components he made himself. Julienne switched off the weapon and returned to the bed. She climbed under the covers, saber hilt still in hand.

"Are you going to sleep with the thing?" he asked her. "I would hate to have you accidentally flick it on and impale me."

_I promise not to impale you, she said, but I am curious how this affects other things as well. Go back to sleep, _she spoke quietly in his mind and followed it with the most subtle of suggestions. He fell asleep quickly.

Very rarely did Julienne fall asleep after Shemric, but in this case, she tweaked his consciousness just enough that he would give her some time to think. She had sensed something coming and could not quite identify it in her Force-dreams. She knew it would create conflict and be as dangerous as everything else they did, but her sense of impending doom was not specific enough to be useful.

She pondered their fight and Shemric's continual ability to do unpredictable things when he was angry. He did not channel anger in the same way she had been taught at her Sith academy and he seemed stronger and swifter for it when he did it his way. She had picked up on some of it, but her anger had been the more normal kind, as he had schooled her mercilessly and left her sore and uncomfortable. She supposed that nothing had changed for them. They were still as odd a couple as you were ever likely to meet.

_Now who is the one lying awake, worrying, _she thought to herself.

Eventually her fatigue took her off to sleep, but it was very troubled.

* * *

Several times her master sent assassins to kill her and once, a squad of Marauders with a unit of Sith Rangers to prod her along, but she began to realize that the two of them had become very dangerous in ways they never could have achieved alone.

Her visions came more and more regularly the longer they stayed together and her understanding of them began to improve as she realized that they never directly showed Shemric or his actions. She often saw other things that resulted, but she had to guess when it came to him more often than not. It complicated her choices and led to more than a few conflicts.

When more than fifteen months had passed, her visions began to clarify down to specific moments that had to happen and she knew their time together was close to ending. The end she seeing appeared to coincide with an ambitious attack that Shemric's unit was planning with weapons that had more or less been supplied by Lord Acina to discomfit Lord Jyric' forces on the planet and lead to his dismissal as planetary commander. She also suspected that Acina was not well-pleased with her handling of the situation and was going to send a more accomplished assassin to finish her soon.

The close relationship they had nurtured over the months had begun to fracture as Shemric sensed their time was at an end and she refused to say that she would leave with him. She did not know how to explain it, but she knew that if they left together, it would lead to … well, the end. Of pretty much everything. Nothingness. That vision terrified her and strengthened her resolve to leave him and find her own way again. She knew she would see him again, but they had to separate soon. His withdrawal from her made the impending break easier, but it also angered her after all they had been through together and shared.

When the day came, she went to her assigned mission, carried it out and then waited. She knew this is where the assassin would find her. This factory of hissing pipes and catwalks would provide the battleground. She had changed into Sith battle robes so that she could meet Acina's crony properly attired, but it felt odd to her after months as a scout. Julienne resumed her place on a catwalk overlooking the factory floor and sat to meditate.

Deep in Force mediation she saw the looming fight again in her mind and then to her utter shock, she realized that Shemric was near, not far below. Awareness crashed down on her that there was not going to be a Sith assassin after all, but the fight would be a lover's quarrel and it would not end well. She steeled her resolve and stood up to face him.

Shemric smiled when he saw her and she wondered what he thought of her, standing there in Sith robes. He tried to sense her in the Force and she rebuffed him.

"We do not have to do this."

"I have to fight someone here," she whispered back. "I did not know it would be you until you walked in just now."

"I had hoped to avoid this," he said.

"Hope is foolish," she said and leaped off the platform to land a few paces from him.

Her visions had led her to this moment and yet, she quailed at the thought now that she knew the target. She had never seen who prevailed or even how the fight would end. Would she have to kill him? Could she?

Shemric interrupted he thoughts by attacking her abruptly and brutally. He employed his most aggressive version of Djem So, pounding with more sheer Force power than he had ever done before. She retreated from the onslaught, shocked and hurt that he would do this.

He pushed her all the way back to the stairway and then hooked her saber and sent it flying. She just managed to leap violently up and back a split-second before a flying kick bent the railway.

She landed awkwardly and climbed over the rail feeling shaken while she called her saber to hand. Shemric leaped and tried to bisect it mid-air but fell short and so twisted and tried to pull it from her grasp. That he nearly succeeded was a sign of how out of sorts she was. When his leap ended, he rushed up the stairs at full speed and met her just as she emerged on the next level. This time she attacked him and he settled into Sorensu, but it was not business as usual. Instead of patiently waiting for openings, he pressed her back with counterstrikes so that he was constantly switching back and forth between defense and attack. It was toe-to-toe bashing and it took every bit of her skill to keep him back until he managed to kick her in the thigh.

Julienne staggered back on unsteady legs, cursing him as Shemric pressed forward pounding on her in Djem So again. She backed steadily and he switched again to Makashi but she was prepared this time and struck at his lightsaber with such strength that he lost his grip. She kicked it off the walkway and instead of diving after it, he Force-leaped straight at her chest and kicked her back with two feet so that she flew through the air and slammed against a walkway railing. The impact knocked the air from her lungs but Shemric had to find his own lightsaber before he could attack her again.

With a moment to catch her breath, Julienne thought on what had happened and it was not difficult at all to summon a cloud of Darkside power to her as she leaped down from on high and walked to meet him.

"So that is how it is," she said in an angry voice. "All those months, all those fights and they were just a sham for this moment when you had to face me? All the drivel about how I could improve and it was all a lie." She was angry for sure, but those words struck a nerve in Shemric and she felt something break in him. The iron hard reserve that the Jedi kept shattered in that moment and she felt something different from him.

"It was never a lie," he whispered quietly. "I gave you everything. But I have to win this fight and defeating you means I had to take you by surprise and do what you did not expect. I failed. Now we have to do it the hard way."

His anger pulsed in him and she smiled. Sometimes he fought better when he was mad, but not this. This was different. Like this, she could finally defeat him. "And now you are angry at me. How interesting."

Her mocking tone must have offended him further because he leaped at her, crystal-clear blade flashing to spark on crimson. What he did then was not like anything he had ever practiced. It was frantic, often unpredictable and violent. It was not what she had expected and once again he surprised her. She was sure after a few moments that her smile had disappeared.

She knew if the fight continued she was going to lose again and the thought was intolerable. Even as he burned her arm and singed her clothes in several places she felt a scream of rage building inside of her. She unleashed it and blasted him away from her, but he used that unique ability of his to absorb Force attacks and repurpose the energy as he needed; this time he used it to launch himself back at her. She tried to blast him with lightning but he took that in too and sent it back at her. She howled and leaped away,

When he came at her again, she knew she had lost her temper beyond its usefulness in a fight but her anger at him was too great to hold back anymore and she rushed him viciously and for a time, drove him back. It was not enough. She tired soon enough and then she was on the defensive again until he managed to again strike away her blade.

Julienne shrieked something incomprehensible and leaped at him. He burned her arm without severing it and she screamed shrilly but tried to kick him anyway. In a moment he dropped the saber and met her in close-quarters hand to hand combat. She had learned from him and him from her, but he was still bigger, stronger and had longer reach. She fought with howls of wordless anger. Finally, he grappled her to the ground and began to choke her. She tried to gouge his eyes but he moved his head away and she fell into blackness.

* * *

Upon regaining consciousness, Julienne was initially disoriented. She was on a ship, strapped to a med-table and her arm had an IV in it. She felt groggy, like she had been kept medically unconscious for a while but considering how badly she had been beaten, it could have been much worse. Shemric had clearly fixed her up as well as he could. She reached out and did not sense him nearby. That was probably best because she was still feeling seething anger at the fight and more at the fact that she had been defeated yet again.

A med droid approached and released her restraints and she sat up and then tried to stand. The burn on her thigh was painful, but otherwise she felt up to walking. Upon leaving the med bay, she immediately recognized that she was aboard a Sith ship and so walked up to the cabin. She was orbiting a world that she did not recognize.

"Where are we?" she asked.

The ship's computer identified the planet as Kashyyyk, the Wookie homeworld.

"How long have we been in orbit?"

"Forty-one point five standard hours," came the ship's reply.

"Were you given any instructions concerning a flight path or next destination?" she asked.

"Negative. The previous captain simply took a pod and left. He has not returned."

Nor did Julienne think that he meant to do so. Shemric had not been best pleased by the fight and would not have been happy that he had to choke her into submission. She slumped into the captain's chair and pondered her next move. There was really nothing for it, but to return to Acina and report. She had no idea what her reception might be.

"Set course for Dromund Kaas," she said.

The ship responded and a few minutes later they were in hyperspace. It would not take long to return. Her visions had shown she would be well-received and commended, but she was not really sure why. Perhaps the final attack on Balmorra had finally unseated Darth Jyric. She sat and thought about the future for a long time, but really all she saw was the handsome, irritating, sometimes humorous, often lascivious, and very tender expression of a young Jedi she would not be seeing again for a long time. The emptiness his presence left felt like a gaping hole in her person. They had depended on each other. In many ways they had become one and now they were separated by light years and more; each would have to find their own way in the galaxy once again. She wanted to hate him for what he had made her, but she could not summon the emotion. She missed him and that was as un-Sith-like as any emotion she could express.

* * *

The solo flight to Dromund Kaas was very cathartic for Julienne and by the time she made planetfall, she felt more like a Sith than she had in months. Watching the way she was regarded in the military spaceport where she left her ship further strengthen her sense of being and by the time she presented herself at Lord Acina's fortress, she felt much like her old self. Being on this planet and feeling the pulse of the Dark Side running through its core made a difference.

As she expected, Acina showed her in immediately and when their eyes met, there was a weighing and judging that took place, but to Julienne's surprise, it went both ways. She observed her master and looked at her aura in the Force and her sense of self and even her ability to keep her thoughts to herself. Julienne very nearly betrayed surprise that she was able to glean a little of what Acina was thinking as they stood staring.

Julienne remembered to bow, finally, but her awareness did not leave her master; she had no intention of being caught unaware.

"You were gone a long time, Julienne Qa," said Acina. "And yet, you return again and in near-triumph I might add. The council has given control of Balmorra into my hands and removed Jyric. Though it took longer than I expected, the plan worked and the council none the wiser." Acina was watching her reaction and Julienne was not sure how she was supposed to react.

Finally, Julienne just decided to ask. "I have been gone a long time, master. What would you have me do for you now? My time on Balmorra was … very instructive."

"What of the Jedi?" asked Acina. "Did you kill him when you left?"

Fortunately, Julienne had prepared herself for the question and knew she intended to reply honestly. "I could not, Master. He proved himself surprisingly capable in our final confrontation." She tried to show a bit of anger and irritation at her defeat. It was not hard. "He was too weak to kill me. He choked me unconscious, stole a Sith ship and left me alone orbiting a nearby planet where he took refuge and left. In the end, he defeated me." She left it there. Acina had always preferred honesty and this was as honest as she could be.

"Contrary to what others may think, there are formidable Jedi out there," said Acina finally. "That this one left you alive shows you his weakness despite his ability to defeat you in combat. You remain a faithful tool of the Empire, the enemy of his Republic. I suspect you will have a chance to finish him off in the future. The Darkside of the Force often brings such things full circle." The Sith Lord stared in thought for a time before continuing. "There is much to be done. Tell me all you can of Balmorra and your time there. My administration must be more effective than that of Jyric or I will end up no better than he did. Sit. Let us begin."


	5. Chapter 5

**3648 DromundKaas**

Julienne spent a month on DromundKaas before Acina sent her back to resume her post on Coruscant. During that month, she was kept busy with errands, but as the days passed by she began to realize that almost anyone could have done the tasks that she was being sent to do. These jobs in the capital were accomplishing another purpose and were more cogs in the scheme that Acina created to further her ambitions. Their true purpose was not revealed until she was approached by the apprentice of Darth Zhorrid, a current member of the Dark Council.

The encounter took place not far from the modest, one-room apartment that Julienne maintained as a safehouse in Kaas City as she was returning from another busy, useless day. She had known Jenriss at the academy and while he had never been particularly friendly, neither had he been hostile to her. He had always treated her as a fellow apprentice, not focusing on the fact that she was female. She had trained at bladework with him and knew him to be competent and at least as strong in the Force as she had been. As she approached her apartment, she sensed something and paused. Since Balmorra, she had concentrated more than ever on keeping herself small in the Force and presenting the most minimal threat possible. She found she was more sensitive to other Sith, even when she was not actively searching, than they were to her when she used this lost little advantage in warning, and it led to her being underestimated in nearly every case.

When Jenriss stepped into her path, she wondered if this was just another test. "It has been some time, Julienne Qa," he opened neutrally.

Julienne had already tried to sense accomplices and decided he was alone. He would not have liked to think he needed help against her, nor considered it particularly sporting. He was taller than her, taller and stronger than even Shemric, but she felt calm as she approached him on the wide sidewalk.

She nodded. "Jenriss."

"My master wishes to send yours a warning," he said. "Her ambition outstrips her capability, and she needs to back off."

Julienne waited. That was it? Was she supposed to tell Darth Acina that? She would bide her time and see if he explained more. When she did not react or say anything, Jenriss seemed at a loss.

"Did you hear me?" he said finally.

"I heard you," she said. The last two weeks had taught her that Sith Lords often communicated through their apprentices when they wished to avoid others intercepting their communications. They also sent their apprentices to kill each other when they wanted to send a different message. Jenriss' thoughts were tightly controlled, but Julienne still gleaned enough to know he was there to kill her. His emotions did not register anything else. It was a job for him. She shook her head. Others had been sent against her, but they had not been serious tests, at least not to her. She had not even slain any of the others. This was the first overt move against her master's power base, and she wondered if this was why she was being retained in the capital when she could have been doing so much more almost anywhere else. Was this establishment of the pecking order a near-formal rite as you ascended the ladder towards your own lordship and your master's position in the Sith leadership?

Jenriss still appeared to be confused as to how to proceed, and Julienne nearly rolled her eyes. Finally she prompted him. "The message?"

Jenriss started and then called his lightsaber to his hand. "I am the message. I am sorry, Julienne; I've never had anything against you." It was a strange thing to say. She wondered just for a moment what kind of man Jenriss might have been had he not been ground up and spit out of the soul-crushing school that was the Sith Academy.

The fight that ensued was the longest individual duel she had ever contested. She reflected it may have been as close as she had ever come to dying. Jenriss was a well-rounded opponent competent in bladework and the various forms of attack used by Dark Side acolytes. In the end, Julienne prevailed because her hunger for victory was stronger. All those months with Shemric had changed her in significant ways; she wanted to live to see him again; she had passion for life that cried out to survive when her existence was threatened; her fighting skillset was nothing any Sith apprentice had ever learned.

As so often happened when she succeeded, there was an expression of surprise on his face as he died. She had not wanted to kill him, but their abilities had been too evenly matched for her to easily subdue him. She had been forced to use everything she had just to finish him. When she looked down at his staring face as he lay there on the unforgiving permacrete, she imagined it was Shemric for a moment and recoiled at the thought. She truly hoped that she did not have it in her to kill her Jedi lover. A galaxy without Shemric would be devoid of meaning.

That was the most important truth she learned after surviving the duel with Jenriss; she would never be the same after her time with the Jedi. She silently cursed him for making her into something she could not understand. It did not matter; she had seen her future and she knew that she was changed. She still believed in the Empire but not in the Empire as it was now. She would be a servant of change for a better Empire.

Julienne called on her communications device and let the local law enforcement know the location of Jenriss' body. He had been a decent enough being to deserve better. She limped off to her safehouse and began to self-medicate her numerous burns and scrapes while she thought about how she would continue to serve Darth Acina.

* * *

The following day she reported the incident to her master and was surprised when at the expression on Lord Acina's face.

"He was an apprentice of Darth Zhorrid?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, master," said Julienne. Her master rarely showed surprise and this intrigued her. She did not know enough of the politics to understand its significance.

Acina was thinking fiercely and not guarding her thoughts well. Acina was both concerned that she had garnered the attention of a member of the Dark Council and thrilled that they now considered her enough of a threat to try to eliminate her best apprentice. That Julienne had survived meant that she had now established herself as a threat, and her need to stay in the capital was done. Acina wanted her back on Coruscant.

When Acina finally spoke, none of her words came as a surprise. The challenge was covering her own surprise at how much of her master's thoughts she had read. Had Julienne truly advanced so far beyond a Sith Lord in her psionic skills?

She must have seemed distracted enough that Acina eventually noticed and asked her what was wrong. Julienne held her thoughts to her tightly until a response occurred that might distract Acina from what Julienne was actually thinking.

"Is there an unwritten procedure for these kinds of things? Could he have sent an actual Sith Lord to eliminate me?" she asked. "It was a near-enough thing as it was."

"Don't forget,Julienne, that you have killed full Sith before," said Acina.

"True, but none of them were particularly well-regarded for their martial skills," she replied. "Would sending a full Lord to kill me have been seen as a sign of weakness?"

Acina nodded. "You have spent a lot of time away from the capital, my apprentice. Returning the way you did, just at the time when I have been granted more responsibility in the Empire, has many questioning us both. You have ruffled some feathers these past few weeks, but yesterday you took a very clear step towards your own ascension. I did not know his name, but Zhorrid's apprentice was considered quite promising, expected to ascend very soon. Defeating him, even in a close battle, means that others are going to think twice before they challenge you. It also means that I am discomfiting a member of the Dark Council. That will be very dangerous for both of us."

Ascension. It was the goal of every Force-sensitive child that was brought to train at the Academy. Some of them had been content to remain Marauders, but most were encouraged to aspire to the title of Sith Lord. It meant prestige, power and prominence in the Empire. Years before, she had thought it meant an end to the grind of training and endless testing, but now she knew that had been a foolish wish. Many Sith Lords did not survive long after ascension and were often still beholden to a master, though never in an official capacity.

Darth Acina discussed some of the politics of her current position working for the Council, but Julienne was only half listening. She was imagining what a certain errant Jedi would think when she told him she had become a Sith Lord. Well, there would be time enough later. She focused on her master's words and prepared to return to the capital planet of her Empire's enemies.

* * *

3648 Coruscant

Julienne's return to Coruscant felt like slipping back into old, well-worn shoes. She wondered if anything really changed that much in the Republic capital, or if these corrupt politicians ever managed to make anything important stick. Still, it was challenging work and with her newfound psionic prowess, she became bolder in her ventures to steal classified information. Prior to this, she had been very limited in her attempts to gain military secrets, as Coruscant security was much tighter and the risk much higher.

Law enforcement had been much easier to penetrate. That had made her job easier as she planted programs into their computers' systems that allowed her to assume multiple personas, erase evidence of her presence, and generally operate more freely in a city-planet that was the most heavily surveilled in the galaxy.

Her master had become so pleased with the information she passed on that she was no longer recalled back to the Empire for direct-action assassinations or raids any longer. After six months had passed, several things happened that radically changed her perspective of the work she was doing on Coruscant.

The first event took place as she was scanning her normal police channels for information and was shocked to see her own face pop up as a person of interest in a criminal case that was being investigated. This had not happened before, and was a cause for alarm. It took time to ferret out the source of the leak, but eventually she made contact with a man who was a Republic intelligence officer. That meeting opened up an entire new realm of possibilities for her.

There were many places to go for men looking for 'companionship' in the capital. Suchplaces ran the gamut from simple brothels to sophisticated—and expensive—escort services where men could hire out women for lengthy periods of time. Julienne had realized early on that men of all sorts frequented such places and had a lengthy list of contacts and or personas that she used when targeting men who knew things or had access to information and information systems.

JohunHy'lek was a rather nondescript human male who also happened to be the security manager for Republic Intelligence. He was an extremely careful man and any attempt to break into his electronic devices had been completely useless. He went to work, lived in a modest apartment, had a few normal hobbies and was unmarried, despite his near 50 years. The reasons for that became evident as she gathered information on him, using both her own operatives and personal surveillance. The latter turned out to be much more effective, because Johun tended to disregard women other than as eye candy. Several of her small-time informants had told her he was extremely adept at spotting tails and anyone attempting to follow him. However, when she went to attempt it herself, he turned out to be much easier to track. Part of it was her inherent ability to deflect the thoughts and gaze of others, and part was her growing ability to transform herself into just about any sort of person she wanted to be. Her small apartment was bursting with a veritable department store full of clothes, wigs, and facial apparatus that could subtly change your appearance.

That was how she found out about a particular habit of his and began to shape a plan to penetrate the Republic Intelligence system.

Acquiring a date with JohunHy'lek turned out to be much easier than she had anticipated. She had a man she paid to do her difficult computer systems penetration, and thus had access to the escort service website that he preferred. It was only a little less difficult to contact the service and set up an appointment for an interview. The woman who met with her was a master of euphemism as they discussed her potential duties, the requirements of the agency and potential pay.

Despite everything she had done as a Sith, she had never, ever, desired to go home and bathe more quickly than she did after her interview with the escort agency. Despite all that, she must have made a good impression. They hired her a week later after her background check went through, and her profile was put up on the site.

The bait was set; now she just had to tweak the odds in her favor. Her friend had set up the escort site's search engine so that she always came up on top when Johun visited it, so it was not more than a couple of weeks before he had requested a 'date.'

The pre-meet brief from the escort agency was as unpleasant as her interview had been, but she endured it, then went to the restaurant where she was to meet him. She wondered if she was going to be able to keep in character long enough to be able to gather any useful information. To her surprise, Johun turned out to be a reasonably handsome older man, with just a tinge of grey in his hair and just a bit of a belly. He seemed genuine in his desire to learn about her and did not spend too much time talking about himself. She had studied up on his interests and was able to keep him engaged through the course of dinner.

What became increasingly difficult to endure was the intensity of his lustful thoughts and the specificity of his creepy fantasies. During the pre-date interview, the agency had made it clear that Mr. Hy'lek had very specific tastes. If she was willing to accept that, then the pay would be three times the normal fee. She had agreed, but the more she attempted to block out his thoughts, the more she wanted to rip out his intestines and strangle him with them. She was almost in awe of his ability to carry on a conversation while imagining the things he intended to do to her. Finally, she had to block him out entirely, take his hand, and leave the restaurant.

When he started to put his hands on her during the drive to his house, she turned off her senses and detached from herself. It was a technique the Sith taught to be able to endure torture, and if that did not apply here, she wasn't sure what would. Her barely-submerged temper was seething under the surface as she was led into the house. Then she lost it when Johun showed her to his 'room.' She reached out to touch his head, and central nervous system, through the Force.

She made no effort to catch him when he slumped to the floor.

_Well, that did not play out the way I had imagined_, she thought. She resisted the urge to kick him in the groin, but it was difficult. She grabbed him under the arms and dragged him up onto the bed that had been fitted with restraints. She considered tying him down but instead did a quick examination of his brain activity and found that she had plunged him into a nearly-comatose state. He was likely to remain there for some time. That would give her some time to search the house and see if anything useful might turn up. She spent almost three hours going through the premises with a careful touch, finally deciding that it hadn't been a complete waste of time. She was able to find out exactly where he worked and what his title was. It occurred to her that a few pictures might help, so she took some shots of his 'room' with him on the bed. Then she realized she could take a further step, removing her dress and positioning him in such a way as to look incriminating while she held onto the restraints.

Satisfied, she dressed again quickly and shuddered at the thought of what had occurred here in the past. Last of all she implanted an inert tracker under the skin of his armpit, checked that it was functioning, then turned it off. She checked her timepiece. It had been three hours since they had arrived home and she was contracted for that duration, so she dragged him into bed, undressed him and wondered if he might figure out that someone had been through his house. She turned to leave, and it occurred to her this might be an opportunity to try and implant false memories to cover up what had actually happened.

Julienne did not want to touch him again, but it would make the attempt easier. When she did, she quickly withdrew her hand. To implant memories, she would have to imagine them in enough detail that he wouldn't question their veracity. She was not sure she could do that. Maybe the emotions attached might be enough. She searched her own memory for something powerful enough that she could project, gasping when she recalled what she had done together with Shemric. She touched the comatose man's head again and set to work. She blurred her mental imagery enough that faces would be vague, but not their associated feelings.

When she withdrew her hand, Shemric's face was in her mind, and she nearly reached out to him across space and time. Her encounter with JohunHy'lek had made her want to connect with a man she did not despise. Too much of her interactions with the male species on this planet were similar to what she had endured tonight.

_Oh, Shemric, the galaxy could use a few more men like you. _Julienne sighed and shook her head. She let herself out, engaged Hy'lek's security system, and called a cab to take her home.

* * *

Julienne slept late and was surprised to find a commendatory message in her email, as well as a substantial payment in her newly created bank account. There was even a message on her comm service telling her how happy the customer had been with his experience. She was not sure whether she should laugh or be horrified, but at least "the customer" wasn't brain-dead. Hy'lek was not the only source of intel for her, and she went to work consolidating and encoding the information that could be sent over public channels. She did not send in reports on any fixed schedule. Days or a week could go by without her learning anything of import, but she did not like to go too long without passing on something.

She got up from her keyboard hours later, stiff and hungry but decided she needed to work out first. She had a home treadmill and some weightlifting equipment for basic toning. She warmed up running first, then dove into her strength and flexibility routine. She could not purge the image of that obscene room from her mind, making it hard to concentrate. Eventually she went back to the treadmill and ran herself to exhaustion. She went through the motions of eating but didn't taste the food, suppressed anger boiling beneath the surface of her emotions. Young girls just like her had allowed themselves to be taken home by Hy'lek and had to suffer through his 'tastes.' It took an hour of meditation before she could calm down enough to be able to think rationally. When she did, she had another message from the escort service saying that Hy'lek had requested her again that evening. She was not sure what a second night in a row might reveal, but she was sure that if she saw the man so soon, she would beat him unconscious or worse. After last night, she couldn't risk it. Julienne politely declined, then turned off all her communication devices.

Hy'lek was going to be a problem. Either she had been far too effective in her implanted memories, or he had figured out something had happened and wanted to question her. Either way, she had no intention of going to his house again without backup.

The weeks that followed were some of the most efficacious of all the months she had spent on Coruscant. However, her continued relationship with Hy'lekwas a constant strain on her emotions. She had eventually accepted a return date with him, and her fears that he had somehow seen through her manipulations turned out to be quite unfounded. Her carefully implanted memories had somehow backfired on her, making him think that he had enjoyed a spectacular sexual experience that he wished to repeat. The problem was, he had taken what she had implanted and combined it with his own twisted version of how things must have gone. The scenarios he imagined and projected over dinner made it difficult to keep her long manicured nails from gouging out his eyes; either that or hurling all the food she had ever eaten on his lap. This time she provided transport and short-circuited his brain the instant they were alone in the car. Julienne wondered how much cerebral damage Hy'lek could stand before he petered out.

The driver, in this case, was one of hers. He was also an expert in home security systems. With his help she got Hy'lek back in bed, carefully implanted new, less volatile memories, then waited a few hours to revive him to the edge of consciousness. It was tricky business, but she was able to affect the equivalent of pillow talk where she could question him about his work and find out information he would never have divulged otherwise.

This opportunity was why she had approached him in the firstplace:find out how she had been detected and connected to a crime, and why that crime would be important to Republic Intel. He revealed that the intel database on suspect individuals was more than a dozen times larger and more complex than that used by regular law enforcement systems. It meant that the worm applications Julienne had fed into the Coruscant's system were not sufficient to keep her identity secret from higher forms of facial recognition gathering. If she was going to operate on the Republic's front doorstep, she needed to be able to go places and not be 'seen.'

Before she left him that day, she planted her most complex and subtle suggestion for him to use his security clearance to introduce the same facial recognition erasing application into the more complex Republic Intel database. On a whim, she added Shemric's face to her app. When she was finished, she also planted a secondary memory of a fond farewell and a desire not to see each other anymore. Hy'lek had been useful, but she was concerned about someone finding the mind tampering. The risk vs. reward had grown too great.

She withdrew from the escort agency and refused to accept any more date requests. She was happy to see that she did not receive any further messages from Hy'lek in the mailbox she had provided to the agency.

Distancing herself from Hy'lek improved her attitude considerably, and she worked hard to find other sources of intel and other ways to be useful to Lord Acina on Coruscant.

The second important event occurred shortly after she had received specific instructions to get close to a Senator Meacher on the Republic Navy appropriations committee. That work had seemed pedestrian to her until, one day, she found out why she had seen him in her dreams.

The Senator was not particularly security-conscious, and she had suborned one of his informants with a mental suggestion to meet at a particular outdoor table in a swank capital diner. She had obtained a table nearby and sat down to eat alone with an earpiece to listen in, when something vaguely familiar brushed her consciousness. She looked about idly until she saw a man she had assumed was the senator's bodyguard, peering at the diners in her vicinity.

It was Shemric.

_You've got to be kidding me_, Julienne exclaimed to herself. _Here? Now?_ She had been working towards this meeting for weeks. There was almost no chance of avoiding his detection – not at this close range. She pulled her Force-sensitivity in tight around herself and turned to look the other direction. She had a slim chance, and slim was better than none.

That chance disappeared a moment later when she felt his Force-awareness touch hers. It was too familiar, too well-known to be anyone else. She gave up, turned back to face him, and opened herself to his query just a fraction.

When he found her face in the crowd, it took every bit of willpower she possessed not to stand and run to him. The connection was so intense, and his happiness and desire to see her was so strong, she nearly swooned in her chair. Julienne put a hand to the table and steadied herself before meeting his gaze at last.

Shemric was drinking in the sight of her, her disguise transparent to him.

_Not now, you fool!_ she nearly shouted. _Neither of us wants to be discovered here._

He gave her the mental equivalent of a snort and looked away. She could easily sense how hard that was for him to do.

_Are you here to kill Senator Meacher or listen to what he is saying? _Shemric asked.

_I'm just listening today, she replied. I've been working up to this point for you let me eavesdrop, all my efforts will be wasted. My master's wrath won't be. _

_We _will_ talk about this later, _he said forcefully.

He withdrew his consciousness and turned away from her to begin circling the two men speaking quietly. She had placed a suggestion in the senator's informant to sit at a particular table, having bugged that location the day before this meeting was to take place. She was supposed to be listening, but her mind still roiled at Shemric's presence. She had known for some time that he was here on Coruscant, but had assumed that the presence of a few trillion other beings on the planet would preclude an accidental meeting. She should have known better.

Try as she might, she could not concentrate on their conversation with Shemric on the prowl, stealing furtive glances in her direction. She herself could barely keep from following him with her eyes. He was the same, yet different. His aura in the Force was something greater than it had been months ago when they had parted, as if he had changed and grown afterward. She supposed she had been forced to do the same. He was not dressed as a Jedi, but only an idiot could look at him and not perceive him as a threat. His armor was likely intended to be an overt warning to anyone who wanted to harm the Senator; it was battered and scored as if with many battles. Combined with his self-assured posture, it was enough to give an assassin pause.

She started when he met her eyes with a direct look. _What are you doing? You don't seem to be paying attention to intelligence you have no business hearing in the first place, my Lady Sith. _He looked away again. She did the same.

It was no use, so she stopped fighting it.

_I assume you are the senator's bodyguard? Is that a normal job for a Jedi?_she asked_._

_We're discussing this now, are we? It's a job for a disgraced Jedi you want to punish._

She cringed. His return to the Order had not gone well, then.

_On the contrary, I was commended and promoted to Jedi Knight. The Grand Master herself chose me as her eyes and ears on Coruscant. Only she and I know that, though. Everyone else thinks I was banished from the Temple for my unorthodox behavior. _

_So are congratulations in order?_

_I've never sure, _he replied. _I do my duty, however horrible it is. This entire planet is corrupt. I can't stand some of the very people I jury's still out on Meacher. _

_I could not agree more. Let's hope he's useful to both of us._

Shemric spun and gave her a sour expression, then glanced away.

_I think they are nearly finished, Learn anything worthwhile?_

_How will I know until I listen to the recording from my surveillance device?_

_Later, he 't make me come looking for you._

That last message from Shemric was so out of character she started. When had he become so forceful in his personality? He had almost always deferred to her and seemed happy about it. Now he seemed angry. Well, she _should_ have known better. When had random chance ever had any part in the tale of Shemric Norm and Julienne Qa?

She stood abruptly and walked away, needing movement and action to clear her thoughts. She had no doubt that Shemric would come looking for her if she did not find him first, so she needed a plan. Shaking her head, she called a cab with her communication device and returned to her apartment. This day had just become a lot more complicated.

* * *

Finding Shemric had been as simple as closing her eyes and turning in his direction. She had suspected she could have done it at any time but was too angry in the beginning to want to try. Then she had been afraid of discovering how easily she could. No matter what plans she made, she knew they wouldn't matter once the two of them came together again. This had been inevitable from the moment she had spoken to him in the square.

She packed a bag with several changes of clothes and her saber. She rarely carried it and had disassembled it into its various components, but odd things happened around Shemric, and she was not going to meet him without it.

The route she took to find him was circuitous in the extreme, involving a descent into the lower depths of the city first, running wildly through the dark, jumpingoff several platforms, then 'borrowing' two different transports to climb back to the surface. Eventually she worked her way back to his vicinity, nowhere near where she'd expected him. Julienne reevaluated her attire and found a place to change into the most high-couture dress she had brought along. She then spent the better part of half an hour in the bathroom of the hotel where he had led her before she was satisfied with both her disguise and her appearance.

He started visibly when she sat down across from him at a table for two next to a large glass window that looked out over the capital city. He had known she was coming and was pleased that she had managed to surprise him nonetheless. Whether his wide eyes were from surprise or pleasure was hard to say.

"Red hair?" he said. "You were a shocking blonde earlier."

"I wear many disguises among my enemies," she said.

"I can imagine," he said. His eyes had never left her and had roamed up and down what he could see of her several times. The matching red dress she had chosen had not been meant for a hotel and restaurant of this caliber. It was a little too tight, a little too short and showed a little too much cleavage for a respectable establishment. It had taken more than a bit of mental suggestion to get past the greeter and the usher. She was sure she was going to get a disapproving look from the waiter when he or she came.

"I had hoped to have an intelligent, constructive conversation, but you have made that nearly impossible," he said.

She gave him her best thousand-watt smile and took a deep breath.

_By all the Ghosts of Korriban, you don't fight fairly, woman!_

She wanted to laugh out loud at his consternation but contented herself with sending him a flow of pure amusement that had him smiling before he could help it. When he shook his head, she knew she had him.

_Who knew you were every bit of attractive with red hair as with black?_

_I did. Why do you think I wore this particular disguise?I even have one with gray hair._

The waiter appeared at that moment. They did their best to appear like any other dinner guests and chose a four-course meal that would appear in stages, giving them plenty of time.

"I assume things went well if you returned to your previous assignment," said Shemric.

"They did," she replied. "My master found my work exemplary. However, I have to admit that I had some misgivings. You mentioned yours went well also."

_I found my family and stayed for a while, _said Shem. _By the time I made my way to Tython, word of our exploits on Balmorra had percolated down to those who listen. The Grandmaster met me personally and commended me. Who would have guessed?_

_You visited your family? _Julienne shook herself and said out loud, "How did you find them after all this time?"

"How did you find me here?" he asked.

She shrugged and nodded. It made sense that he would have similar connections with others, through the Force and otherwise. "And it was a positive visit?"

"My mother was waiting for me on the front porch," he said. "She is a very good listener. I needed to express my concerns before I returned to the Order, if I returned. The end of my last assignment wasn't. . .exemplary."

_Wasn't it? You said some things that I pondered afterwards. I think you knew we had to part then, just as much as I did. _

_Yes. I just wasn't very mature about admitting it. I'm sorry._

_Don't be. I have you to thank for being alive. _

_I could never have killed you, _he protested_. I wasn't that angry – or that blind. _

"I was not talking about that," she said out loud as their first course of greens and vegetables arrived. "The things you taught me in our first apprenticeship together helped me do my job." _And keep breathing while I did it. _

He watched her over his food for a long time before nodding. _You brought out the best and worst of me when we trained. Don't sell yourself short; you combined my help with your skill. When I returned, the Grandmaster had the resident battlemaster test me. He is well respected, and we garnered an audience. I think that Shan did it on purpose to make my promotion to Knight completely legitimate. _

"And it worked," said Julienne. Shemric seemed different; less deferential and more in command of the space around him. Becoming a Knight had been important to him. "I'm happy for you." She reached across and gave his hand a squeeze, unsurprised at the unfettered blast of emotion that came with the touch. She drew back her hand slowly so as not to offend, and the flow became manageable again.

"But not you?" he asked. "No promotion."

"No," she said, and she could not help but seem bitter. "Our system does not really have an equivalent. You're either a Sith Lord or no one, unlike you Jedi with multiple honored ranks."

_I still had to survive do-or-die trials.I thought my arm might fall off at the number of duels I had to fight in the month I spent back in the capital. Darth Acina's fortune was on the rise and I had become her chief lieutenant. As such, my testing was continual if not constant._

"Which you passed, obviously," he said. "I am glad you were prepared."

"Thanks to you," she said.

"Thanks to us," he corrected her. "And now here we are again."

"I hope you understand this is not something we can do often, if at all, after this."

"I suspect not," he said. "Except at your convenience." A hint of a smile from him; a laugh and a wink from her.

_What am I going to do about you, dear Juju? You're clearly spying on my government, listening in on a senator who holds our navy's well-being in his hands. _

_You are going to let me continue as I am, _she said.

He raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, "I think you have me confused with that other guy you could push around when you wanted. If you want something now, you are going to have to tell me why."

She sized him up and decided he must know. _Your Republic, my Empire, depend on it_.

"That seems a bit melodramatic," he said.

"It is not," she said. "The only question you have to ask is whether or not you trust me."

"To do what?" he asked.

"What is right," she said.

He looked at her for a long time and was only interrupted by the arrival of their main course. Julienne doubted they were ever going to pay so much money for such excellent food to which they were barely paying attention. At least its arrival meant they could converse without speaking without looking strange.

_I don't much like my Republic right now, but it still seems a better option than your Emperor and his machinations, _said Shem.

It took all her self-control not to challenge Emperor was at the heart of everything she saw in their future, which she didn't fully understand. Far from it.

_It is not a question of saving one or the other, Shem. We have to save them both, together. _

_You and me?_

_Yes, you and me. _

Shemric nodded. _Very well. _He looked down at his food for the first time.

Julienne was glad of the distraction. The new Shemric had a way of looking at you that made you believe despite your doubts, despite knowing complex motives lay beneath simple words. When he gave his assent, she knew he meant it. If she asked it, he would assassinate the Supreme Chancellor. He would do _whatever_ she asked. His absolute trust brought tears to the edge of her eyes, and she could not breathe. He did not look up from his plate, and she spent a few moments regaining her composure. When he looked up, she thought that he had not missed anything, whether he had been watching or not. He knew what he had offered.

_Do you have a room in this hotel? _she asked.

He started and nearly choked on his food. _Do you think I can afford a suite here? That is as much as I receive in a year. This table alone cost me all the extra money I'll see for months. _

_Well, then, how in all the Nine Hells of the Sith Overlords are you going to carry me off and have your way with me? I did not spend this much time on my hair and make-up just so we could have a staring contest. _

Much to the disgust of the tables around them, Shemricspewed food before trying to cover it with a coughing fit. Julienne simply waited until he met her gaze again.

"I had a lot of time to think about how things went before," he said finally. Surprisingly, he was keeping a tight rein on his lustful thoughts, and that was not the old Shem either. "You used … that … to manipulate me into doing what you wanted far too often."

"That's what we Sith do, and you knew it from the start. I never tried to deceive you on that account." His stern expression held longer than she thought was possible until he let out a breath, his iron concentration giving way to unrestrained longing and, underneath it, loneliness. In a planet of trillions, he was alone. For the second time during their meal, tears threatened to cloud Julienne's vision. She reached to take his hand again.

_I've had enough to eat, _she said._ Let's leave. I meant what I said about not doing this again, but there's no sense in wasting this moment. Besides, I can foot the bill for the room and the meal._He nodded,dabbing at his eyes with a napkin, and she could sense it was all he could do to maintain his composure. Julienne pulled a card out of her bag, ran the meal credit, then selected a luxurious its code appeared in the hotel registry, she memorized it, then put her card back in the purse from whence it had come. She stood, took his hand and led him across the dining room. Their departure was so abrupt that no one even ventured to speak to them on the way out.

Julienne let out a very un-Sith-like giggle at the other patrons' expressions as they darted to an elevator. A respectablefamily of four was going down with them, but she could not help but give Shemric's bottom a pinch before they got off on their floor. He jumped, and one of the children giggled. Julienne looked at the little girl, gave her a conspiratorial smile,then led Shem off the elevator and down the hallway to their room.

* * *

Julienne lay with her head propped up on a pillow, mesmerized by the lightshow that was Capital City at night. Up here it was easy to forget about all the suffering that took place below. Shemric was sleeping, in a slumber she had induced when he had finally worn himself out. Sometimes, when she thought that her heart had been hardened beyond repair by her Sith masters, she only had to visit Shemric to be reminded that it was not so. She was not sure if she had told him they must end their relationship for fear of being caught, or because every time they were together, she had to rebuild her persona afterward.

_Odd, _she thought to herself. _We Sith embrace passion, yet when push comes to shove, we're all business. We do our duty – just like the Jedi. Shem and I aren't so different after all._

She really wished that they had an open space, time and privacy to cross lightsabers. She missed the intensity of it, and though he would not admit it to himself, Shem was never happier than when he had a blade in his hand. She suspected a little time sparring with her would help him even more than their time in bed.

His situation was certainly a waste of his talent. That was so like the Jedi, too, to take their most capable warrior and make him little more than a beefed-up messenger boy. She did not doubt that their Grandmaster trusted him and would probably assign him to more important tasks, but when? Shem was dying bit by bit. He needed something more to occupy him. Julienne wasn't sure what that might be, but she was determined to find it. She knew she would need him to be sharp sometime in the near future. Right now, he was a mess.

What did he need? He needed to be needed. That was it. On Balmorra his troops had counted on him, as had Julienne in her own way. Now he was extraneous, one Jedi Knight among hundreds, all perfectly capable of completing the assignment he'd been tasked to do. No one really required him, and it was eating him up inside. She doubted there was going to be an official capacity in which he could be used, or that would be approved of, so he needed to act on his own. Stories of masked superheroes from her youth came to her and she knew that was the answer. He might spend his days as a human prop, a bodyguard on standby, but at night, there was plenty of crime to prevent. She would suggest it to him in the morning. No, she would suggest it to his subconscious and then suggest it again as reinforcement in the morning.

_Oh,Shemric, my lovely Jedi tool_, she said as she held his head to her chest. _Your own Order can't be bothered to keep you sharp, but I will always take care of you._ Julienne drifted off to sleep and knew that this night with Shemric was right, as her Force visions were right.

* * *

They slept late, as she had intended. The rest and change in Shemric were evident from the light in his eyes.

_You look a lot better this morning, she pointed out. _

_I feel … _

Shemric's thought was so full of new life that it didn't seem he could express it. His unencumbered laugh was so infectious that she joined him. He jumped on top of her, and they wrestled in bed until they managed to fall out of it, still tangled in the covers and each other. She let him have his way with her, then shoved him back in bed while she got up and ordered breakfast. When it arrived, they sat down to eat at the small table, wrapped up in the expensive white robes they found in the closet. Shemric could not help but rub his lower leg against hers under the table.

_I've been thinking that you need a real job, _she said.

He snorted and continued eating.

_I'm serious. When I come running to you for help, I'm going to need the very best version of Shemric. I think you should start moonlighting as a crimefighter. _

_What? _His surprise was evident.

_There is plenty of wrongdoing in this planet-wide city, and the police either can't do anything about it or won't in some about you? _

That he did not scoff at her immediately meant he thought the idea had merit, or her sub-conscious plant from the night before had taken root. Heshook his head and kept eating. His thoughts were buzzing. Part of him thought her suggestion was ridiculous, but other parts. . .

_Are you really going to avoid me while we are both here? _Shemric asked.

_I did not say that. We simply are not going to do this all the time. _

_Explain the difference, please. _

Julienne thought for a moment and then launched into her rationale. _We already managed to meet in a city with an innumerable population. It may happen again, but we can't afford to be foolish when all the eyes of the Republic are on us. Who knows? There may be other Imperial spies watching me as well. We have to be careful. Even so, we could still be relationship is treasonous on both sides. Let's not tempt fate – or the Force._

He nodded grumpily, as she knew he would, but took her advice as usual. He was an uncommonly clever man.

_I heard that. Just because I do what I am told does not make me clever, _he said.

_It does if what I am telling you to do is correct._

He grunted but did not argue further. She knew he was going to think about her idea and try it. It would be good for him.

_When do you have to leave? _asked Shemric.

_Only when you decide to let me. _

His raised eyebrow told her that he plainly thought that was ridiculous.

_Listen, _she began, _I went to great lengths not to be followed when I came to you yesterday. I'm as safe right now as I will ever be. Whether I return to my job in two hours or twelve, it will hardly matter._

_Is twelve an option?_

_In twelve more hours, even you might get tired of me._

He looked up and held her gaze before speaking. _No, I won't. _

Julienne threw her hands in the air, removed her robe and threw it at his head.

She should not have been surprised when he heaved her bodily through the air with some combination of the Force and his own muscles so that she flew across the room and bounced wildly on the bed. His laughter followed her, but instead of more lovemaking, he pulled the covers back on the bed, wrapped himself around her tightly, and lay there with her.

_I'm sorry about Balmorra, _he beganafter a time.

_Stop! I am not discussing it today. Or maybe ever. _

_Yes, ma'am. _He did not say anything more for a long time, and she kept back from gleaning his thoughts. It may have been an hour, or perhaps a little longer, when he let her go. They washed and dressed. She put on her everyday attire and prepared to leave before he did.

"I'm going to take your advice," he said.

She turned back to him. "You should. I think you will be happier." She reached out and touched his cheek tenderly. "Be well, Shemric. We have work to do." She leaned in, brushed his lips lightly with her own, then turned and left. He was not happy she was leaving, but his resolve seemed to be improved from when she had met him the previous day. He would not mope, and that was enough.

True to his word, Shemric did not seek her out. In order to avoid unnecessary complications, she passed off the surveillance of Senator Meacher to a subordinate. Julienne was now responsible for an extensive network of informants and Imperial agents that reported to her. She was still responsible for obtaining new sources of information, but more often than not, she passed them on once they yielded useful intel.

When a full year had passed since returning to Coruscant, Julienne realized that she had not picked up a lightsaber in months. She was still as fit as she had ever been, perhaps more so because she did not have to take the beating that normal Sith training dealt out, but her combat skills were probably dropping below an acceptable level. The heights she had obtained on Balmorra were clearly a thing of the past. It concerned her. A recall to the Sith capital world could quickly prove fatal.

Julienne knew she had gained other skills, but they were more in line with what was expected of a high-ranking Imperial Agent than a future Sith Lord. Had things been different, she would have settle down and continued to improve at her work, but she knew she needed to be a Sith Lord some day and survive ascension when it came. Neither of those was likely if she continued at her present post.

She knew approaching Lord Acina with this concern could go a number of different directions, but she eventually felt strongly enough about it to request a direct-space communication. She made the request through the normal channels and was given a date and time. It felt odd to be delivering flowers to the Sith Inquisitor, but he was as polite as always, seeming to think a great deal of her and her work in the capital.

Conversing with Darth Acina seemed odd after such a stretch of time, but her mentor greeter her as if no time had passed and congratulated her on her excellent work. When Julienne voiced her concern, the woman listened quietly and then promised to consider what other assignment might be equally useful in her plans.

Unfortunately, she did not receive a quick reply. When weeks stretched by, she wondered if Darth Acina had merely placated her anxious apprentice. It was possible but unlike her. If Lord Acina did not agree with you, she would tell you to your face or send someone to kick you in the butt.

Bored and restless, Julienne considered meeting up with Shemric, but knew that would only make her want to get off Coruscant all the more – and take him with her.

Ironically, that is more or less what occurred when she received new orders from Acina.


	6. Chapter 6

3647—The Unknown Regions

Chapter 6

Somehow, smuggling was not what Julienne had been contemplating when she had asked for a change of assignment. It was days and days of boredom punctuated by life-threatening blockade running. After her first run she really wondered what Lord Acina was thinking when she had assigned Julienne the job. She was traveling to a planet named Belkadan that took a number of short hops to find because-well, it was the Unknown Regions. Apparently after spearheading the Empire's defeat of the Republic five years earlier, Darth Malgus had been deeply dissatisfied with the result and had gone off to create his own war. He was now a rogue element that the Dark Council could not control, so Lord Acina had offered to send an apprentice to gather more information. That made sense, but the council had access to plenty of trained agents that could have gone and done what Julienne was doing on Belkadan. So what was the desired result?

The more she thought on it, the more she wondered if she had been volunteered by her master with ulterior motives in mind. If her smuggling runs continued to go well, then they were going to draw the attention of Malgus. Malgus was not a hands-off sort of Sith Lord, so if she became enough of a bother, he would come looking for her. That was not going to end in her favor, so what was Acina trying to accomplish?

Unless …

She was sitting in the empty freighter bay of her smuggling ship after completing her second run to Belkadan. She had offloaded the small-arms weaponry twelve hours earlier and had no desire to return to space. She was sitting in the middle of an extensive forest that provided cover and the opportunity to get out and run, or work on her lightsaber forms without restriction. She chafed at doing the forms with the discipline they required, and she knew why. She did not want to dance around to little effect. She needed a partner. Her blade had grown dull. It needed a sharpening stone if it was ever going to be keen enough to survive Malgus.

Unless…

If Acina expected that Julienne would eventually meet up with him, then she was throwing her most useful apprentice away to no good one assumed that was not her desire, then what did she expect?

Unless…

Shemric. It always came back to her Jedi. If Acina wanted her to face Malgus, then she would assume that Julienne would not attempt it alone and was practically telling her to go and use him again. It bothered Julienne that Acina could manipulate her this way, but it became more and more clear to her that unless she enlisted Shemric's aid, she would eventually run afoul of Malgus with no help and lose the ensuing she wish to involve Shemric further in her troubles, or was this a time when she needed to come up with an answer on her own?

She spent three days on the surface contemplating that issue, training, and hoping to receive some sort of guidance from her visions. By the end of that time, she knew it was time for Shemric again. Julienne lacked full certainty; this plan just felt right. It had been nearly a year since she had seen him for that one night on Coruscant. It was time for them to reunite.

Leaving Belkadan's atmosphere was easier than last time, when she'd been chased by a Sith cruiser and some fighters until just before her jump to lightspeed. They must have become bored waiting for her to reemerge, because she had taken off and left the world's atmosphere before any sentry ships had halted her.

Hyperspace travel was as tedious as ever, leaving the Unknown Regions before she refueled in Ruuria, then took the Hydian Way to the Core. She had thought to try and summon Shemric from a distance; the Force had no limitations. Julienne wondered if it would have been difficult, but Shemric could be touchy. It was always easier to deal with him in person, when he could not keep his eyes off her.

Upon leaving several months earlier, she had liquidated all her assets and safehouses but one. She retired to this location and rifled through the hundreds of outfits she had acquired as disguises, until she found something scandalousthat would give her an advantage when they finally met. She dressed and paid careful attention to every element of her appearance. To a degree, Shemric accepted that she would snap her fingers when she needed him, but it always helped to soften the blow with a ready smile and a short skirt.

When she eyed herself in the mirror, it reminded her of a run-in she'd had on Devaron when she had been dressed in a similar fashion. A man had become a little too forward with her and assumed she was someone's yum-yum to borrow or use as he pleased. He had learned differently, at the cost of his hand.

Today she would be Shemric's yum-yum, and together, they would finish off Darth Malgus. It was an absurd thought as she looked at her appearance in the mirror; likely Sith Lords and Jedi Masters would have laughed themselves silly at the notion. Well, that would be a mistake on their part. She gave herself a wink and then called a cab. Time to set the bait.

* * *

It had not taken Shemric long to find her, once she had made her presence known to him; she rather suspected he had dropped everything at the invitation. Just as he came close enough that he might spot her, she pulled her Force-signature in tight and sidled up to walk beside him, stride for stride.

He jerked to a halt and stared when he realized she was there.

"Keep moving," she warned. They walked a few strides further until they rounded a corner that provided a bit of privacy. "Well, are you going to say something?" she asked, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Years apart, and now you stand there like a bantha chewing its cud when your yum-yum shows up."

"My yum-yum?" he said.

She was not surprised he had never heard the term. "Never mind." She shook her head, lifted her armsand pirouetted in a very un-Julienne-like fashion. "Now would be the time for compliments."

She needed to get the rest of his body involved before his brain started wondering what she was going to drag him into this time. When she stopped, he gave her a flat look and started walking again.

"Should I be worried that you are here on Coruscant?"

Julienne had not extended her consciousness to him, aiming to try and convince him without any psionic prodding.

"I don't know; I come here all the time," she said and smiled at him. He did stare at her for a few moments until she turned away. "When have I ever popped into your life and not caused you trouble?"

"True enough," he said. "What trouble are you going to cause this me this time?"

"Oh, a little here, a little there," she said. "I was thinking we might take a little trip into the Unknown Regions."

"Really?" he said. "Can I ask why? You hardly look dressed for an expedition."

She continued moving in the direction of a local restaurant she had picked out. The street noise was too loud to try and discern what he was thinking or feeling._I am dressed to impress, you idiot. _Despite the traffic din, it wasn't hard for her to slip into his head. _And to blend in.A man's _yum-yum_ should always look the part, even in the sophisticated areas of Coruscant. _

_What does that mean?_

_Oh, nothing. To answer your question, Darth Malgus is causing some consternation to the Dark Council, and Master Acina wants me to go and cause him some trouble in return._

"And why would I help you do that?" he asked, out loud.

"Because Malgus is invading and subjugating numerous worldsand killing a lot of beings?" she replied. "Wouldn't youlike a chance to destroy the man who wrecked your Temple and caused so much ill will to the Jedi Order?"

He snorted. "Sometimes _I_ have ill will towards the Jedi Order," he mumbled.

Julienne could sense his frustration at his present assignment, despite his night job. When she had been 'home' for a bit, she had done a HoloNetsearch to see what he had done with her suggestion to attempt some vigilante-style justice in the Republic's capital. It had not taken long to find a dozen stories detailing his exploits. The local police denied it, but it appeared he had worked out an arrangement with them to help in their difficult cases, in exchange for turning a blind eye to enforcing his own brand of justice on the streets.

Now he was thinking about Balmorra and the fight there. They had never really discussed it. He seemed surprised that she was not more upset at how things had ended. They had not really talked about it the year prior when they had spent that short, half-day together. _I have no sore feelings over the way things ended. Do you?_

_Yeah! I do_, he returned back. _You ruined our battle plan, and I had to beat you into submission to keep you from killing me._

_There was more going on there than you understand_, she said: one of her visions that she had grossly misinterpreted. She'd known she would have to leave him, but she had assumed that the fight of her life would be against a Sith assassin. _And I would never have killed you any more than you would have killed me._

Shemric grunted. She knew she was going to win this argument and that he was going to follow her to the Unknown Regions, for the simple reason that she asked him to do it. He just seemed frustrated that it was always on her timetable.

_True enough, but why fight it? This time we have a common goal._

_Would you get out of my head?!_

Julienne was shocked at the anger in his retort. She withdrew immediately from his thoughts and turned to face him. "Fine, stay here in your miserable little job," she said. "Go stop a few muggings every night and let the HoloNet call you a hero. I will be on my way." She turned and walked away from him. Sometimes she really wanted to kick him in the face. His thoughts were in turmoilas he watched her, butshe sensed he was clearly enjoying himself.

_Stop staring at my ass_, she said.

If there was a mental equivalent to a snort, he made one. Julienne smiled.

_What _are_ you _wearing? Shemric asked.

_It is my yum-yum suit, _she said_. I wore it just for you. _

_What does that even mean?_

_Follow me and find out!_

She kept walking and turned a corner. He did not exactly run to catch up to her.

_Do I need to come back and persuade you?she asked. _

_Oh, please. You persuaded me the moment you stepped on this planet._

_So why not follow and stop complaining? she said. _

She intuited his mental shrug. Eventually he caught up with her and matched her stride. She took him to a booth in a swank diner for which he might have been a little underdressed. He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek, but she was having none of that, grabbing his hair and pulling him closefor a much more thorough kiss. She sensed his desire spike, and warmth flowed through their bond to connect them more fully.

He sat down across from her.

"Nice to see you, too, Juju," he began.

The waitress approached and eyed Shemric and Julienne skeptically. Likely she thought Shemric was not appropriately dressed, and Juju's outfit was borderline lascivious.

_She thinks you are a call girl, since I'm clearly not in your league, _pointed out Shemric.

_Do I not come when you call? _she asked, smiling. The more she could keep him off balance, the easier this would be.

_I think you have that backwards._

_Besides, _she said,_ I think we decided the term is _yum-yum.

Shemric snorted, and the waitress looked at him oddly. They ordered an appetizer and water, all the while continuing to speak to each other.

_I came to you on Balmorra, _she said.

_You were sent to kill me, _he said.

_Oh, yeah, well, that worked out well for both of us. My master was quite pleased, and you are a Jedi Knight now. _

_You may be forgetting a few details along the way._

_Oh? You mean our little spat. I barely remember it._

She could sense that he was balancing between irritation and amusement.

_You came looking for me the moment you sensed me here on Coruscant, _she pointed out.

_The moment you _let_ me sense you, he sulked._

_I had business to finish, and you were the last of it. I told you I was glad to see you. _

_Oh, sure, you spent all kinds of time confessing your undying love to me, _he said.

_And you feel like that shows that I am not committed to this relationship? You do not really believe that all of this is coincidence, do you? _Now it was Julienne's turn to feel irritation. It was not that she did not want to be with Shemric, but they were living precarious lives, treading water in a stormy sea.

_Well, no, you have mentioned how you have seen Force-visions that have shaped some of what you do, _he said.

It was not so much what he said, but how he said it that set her off. He was wallowing in self-pity and it was not attractive. This version of Shemric was not going to be much help. Time to light a fire under him, as she had last time regarding his second career.

_I HAVE SPENT MOST OF THE LAST FEW YEARS WORKING WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF ENSURING THAT YOU AND I HAVE A FUTURE TOGETHER! _ Julienne had rarely used her superior psionic skills against him, but she wanted to right now. _I SPEND HOURS MEDITATING, SURFING THE FORCE TIMESTREAM TRYING TO GLEAN OUT A FEW CLUES TO GUIDE US; YOU HAVE NO IDEA! _Shemric's mouth worked up and seemed shocked at her temper. His thought came to her that she had never even brought up the subject before. _WHY? BECAUSE I CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN, OR IT WILL AFFECT THE TIMESTREAM!_

Shemric reached across the table to take her hand. When she tried to pull it back, he held it in an iron grip. When she realized he was not going to let go, she relaxed a bit.

"Can we stop shouting and discuss it?" he asked calmly.

_I WANT TO SHOUT! YOU MAKE DUMBASS COMMENTS LIKE YOU JUST DID, AND YOU SOMEHOW ASSUME THAT BECAUSE I DO NOT SPEND MY TIME SPOUTING MY ETERNAL DEVOTION TO YOU THAT I AM NOT COMMITTED TO _US_. YOU'RE WRONG!_

"I get it. I'm sorry, and you're right. You know what they say about the word _assume." _

Shemric accompanied his calming words with a soothing flow of the Force that probably worked quite effectively on most people. It might have even worked on her if she had not lost her temper. _Stop that! I am not some pet you can soothe with a few gentle soothing feelings. _Shem stopped immediately, and she glared at him while he tried to put on his most contrite expression. Her glare softened and she shook her head. _Well, it hardly matters now. We are in the middle of the game, and the pieces are falling into place. I'll try to explain this in a way you can understand. My mentors in the Academy did not fully comprehend what I was doing, so don'texpect to come out of this anything but confused._

His feelings were balanced between curiosity and foreboding, as if he was not sure he wanted to hear this after all.

_We can't always get what we want. Here goes: When I was about 14 or 15, I started to see visions while I was sleeping. It took a certain state of consciousness to achieve, and I could not do it on my own in the beginning._

The Sith Academy on Korriban had never been a kind place with kind people. Her visions had unnerved her fellow cadets, creating a distance between them that had never closed. Some of them had even compared her to Darth Traya, of whom they'd learned in their studies, and hadn't meant it as a compliment. _My visions just came to me, and I remembered some things. Future possibilities are too great for any mortal mind to comprehend, so you cannot imagine how confused I was in those years. My teachers grilled me incessantly on the visions until they were satisfied that they couldn't use them – or me – and left me to my own devices. _

_They concluded that my visions were entirely personal, not suited for the broader arena of Sith politics. When that became apparent, they sent me back to normal training. So I tried to ignore what I saw through the Force. Then I met you. A lot of things that happened on Taris had been presaged in my visions, so that when the moment came, I was able to act quickly. The visions have kept me alive and guided me down through the years to be here and now._

_Incredible! How do you live knowing so much of what is going to happen? _he asked.

_I do not see _everything_, _she said_. Only glimpses of this and that which come to me when I need them. Knowing your future in every aspect and detail would be maddening. Despite what the Force shows me, I have never seen you in any vision at any time._

He blinked, watching her in surprise.

_You see the difficulty? I try to make decisions to help the both of us, yet you're always transparent to me. Oh, certainly now, we are so closely connected that even when you are not in my vision, I sense your proximity, but that was not obvious in the beginning. It was not until Balmorra that I made the connection. I saw visions of Taris when you saved me, when we fought the alchemist dogs, even when we fought my master. However, they did make any sense because the parts I saw were only times when you were not in my field of sight. After Taris I gave them little thought, because again, I did not ever see you in my future. When I went to Balmorra, I thought that I would take a lover, but not until I saw you sitting behind the desk did it all come crashing down on my awareness._

She stopped and stared over his shoulder for a moment. He did not need to sense how angry she had been then. This meeting was supposed to be a reunion, not another fight. . .

_It was like looking at a puzzle where you only saw half the pieces, and you are trying to figure out the picture. On Balmorra, I began to understand that you were the other, unseen half of the puzzle that I had to fill in on my own. The better I came to know you, the better I could fill in the gaps. _She stopped again for a while. _It has not been a perfect system. Things happened on Balmorra that I did not see or expect and our last fight especially was very confusing. I saw myself entering that building. I knew I would fight someone, but I never thought it would be you. _

_Before that fight on Balmorra was the only time I have ever seen a Force vision, _he said.

She looked at him sharply and spoke out loud, such was her surprise. "Tell me what you saw!" Shemric had never, ever mentioned Force visions to her before; she had not even known his talents lay in that direction.

He reached and took her hand again. _Let me see if I can show you. _Shem pulled her gently into his consciousness, taking her back to the briefing, the realization that she was sabotaging the plan, and his anger and frustration quickening his Force-awareness enough to prompt the vision.

Julienne recognized its delivery, if not all of its was so used to such things that her mind slipped into 'vision-mode' and started recording. What happened next shocked her. At some point in the vision, it had appeared that Shemric had focused on one possible future and followed that specific timeline all the way back to the present. It showed their fight in the factory, his victory, and his subsequent departure. When it closed, Julienne sat back, stunned. She had attempted to do what he had done many times but it had been impossible for her. She simply could not steer the direction her Force-visions took.

She was so surprised that she spoke out loud again. "That was nothing like I have ever seen. Did you pick out one specific thread and follow it all the way back to the present?"

"I think that is what I did," he said.

She shook her head. "How useful would that be… ? I tried something similar, once I had gained a little control, but it never worked. I saw what I was shown and could neither direct nor refine it in any way. How many of these have you seen?" Being able to pick out a preferred outcome would make things so much easier – and harder. If Shemric selected a future where he and the Republic were ultimately victorious instead of the Sith, where would that leave her? He was no mere daydreaming mortal. He was a Jedi Knight, and a powerful one at that.

"Just that one," he admitted, and her eyes widened.

_Well, isn't that interesting? _she said, back in his head again_. Your vision and mine directly contradicted each other. I saw myself defeating you there. Well, not you specifically, but whomever I was fighting… _

Understanding exploded in Julienne's mind as she contemplated what she had seen. She had wanted to win that fight, just as Shemric had wanted to win. It was quite possible her desires colored what she saw and changed the interpretation. How many of her other visions had been distorted by what she wanted to happen, instead of what would? Was she the master of her fate?

When she came back, she blinked several times, then looked at him with surprise. _I think you may have just provided me with another piece in the puzzle. It seems to me that my wishes can color some of the visions to look the way I want them to look. I think I wanted to defeat you so much that I was skewing the things I saw in that direction. _

More possibilities exploded in her head as she went back and again examined many of her past visions and attempted to let them flow through her without personal bias as to the outcome. After she did it with one, others started to come to her, faster than she could follow. Itfelt like she was watching a dozen tri-dee movies at the same time. Eventually they ran down and she came back to herself. Shemric had moved to her side of the booth and was leaning into her, his lips next to her ear. She wondered how long she had been sitting there glassy-eyed.

_That was so weird, _she said. _I do not think that has ever happened before. _

_What did happen? _he asked.

_Well, the first time I was comparing how your vision and mine differed and were similar. When I had the thought that maybe my wishes were coloring my visions, I started to rehash many old things that I have seen and try to analyze them without personal bias. It changes a lot. Wow. It makes me wonder if… _She shook her head again and met his eyes. "You were not trying to take advantage of my person when I was not paying attention, were you?"

"I was trying to keep the waitress from thinking you were a kook as you stared into space," he mumbled.

"What is a kook?" she asked. She had not heard that one before.

"Crazy," he said and made a motion with his finger around his head. That didn't make any sense to her, either, and he shrugged. "Never mind." _Please go back and explain something. You said you had been trying to work out a future for us. What does that mean?_

_It seems that you affect my visions in some way that I cannot foresee, _she said. _On Balmorra, as we became close, the things I saw began to change. That is not uncommon, but they were changing in substantial ways. There were things that I clearly had to do, and they became more and more clear. _

_Like what? _Shem asked.

_For one thing, had we left Balmorra together, we would have had a few relatively happy years and then been gone, she said. _

_Gone, how?_

_I do not know; just gone, she said. There were no more futures that led to more life. None. We had to part there in order to make it here. At the time it was a mystery, but now I believe there is something else going on. I need to become a Sith Lord; Darth Monikas. You needed to go to the new Jedi Temple on Tython. _

"Let's leave. All these revelations are giving me a headache," she told Shemric out loud.

"Yes, let's …" he said, but before he got up, he tipped her chin up to meet his eyes. _Thank you. For working so hard for us. I will not take it lightly again. _

_Well, don't thank me yet. We still have a lot of work to do. I don't see a lot of possible futures that lead to happiness for the two of us. _

_Well, maybe I distort things too much for you to see clearly, he suggested._

Her expression brightened. _That is true! It has probably always been true. Well, there is nothing for it but to carry on. _They stood afterward, leaving credit chips on the table. _You need to go and gather anything you need. Come find me when you are ready. _She leaned in and kissed him rather ardently, then disappeared into the crowd outside the restaurant.

She made an excuse that she had other things to do, but she needed some space to sit and think. The foundation of her visions had been pulled out from under her, and she was not sure how to proceed. She wandered aimlessly until she ended up in the food court of a chic outdoor shopping center that tried to look like the bazaar from more primitive planets, but failed miserably because the prices were absurd and the clientele were much too snooty. She found a comfortable chair to rest her feet from walking in heels and started meditating on her path and her plans for Shemric. After a time, she gave up. Apparently the things she had seen when Shemric's vision had stimulated hers were not going to repeat themselves. There was nothing to do but continue. Coming for Shem had felt right, and it still felt right.

She felt Shemric searching for her and guided him to her position. She had decided that they were not going to leave Coruscant today. She used an illegal app from her comm device to scan the local area for hotel rooms and found one that had a lovely honeymoon suite. It was empty at present and reserved for tomorrow, but that would be fine; they would leave early enough that it was not a problem.

Time to lose anyone that might be following them – Republic or Imperial spies.

Julienne took his hand without comment. They went strolling along as if they were in no rush, occasionally glancing with glazed looks into each other's eyes. Shemric was content to follow her lead, and she had a few tricks she intended to use to shake pursuit.

She steered them down a side street, and they dodged into an alley a few moments later. _Up, _she said, motioning with her head, then leapedfor a balcony above and then onto the roof. She could sense Shemric's amusement at how well she could get around in high heels.

_I wear many disguises, lover-mine, _she said, breaking into his thoughts. _Mastering the art of walking in high heels was not as hard as learning to fight you with a lightsaber. Plus, you sort of emit this low hum of pleasure around me whenever I wear them with a dress. I like it. You once compared it to warming your hands over a fire. _She walked briskly across the roof to a service entrance. When she tried the door and found it locked, she scowled. She walked to each edge of the roof, then went back to the one that was closest. She dug through a purse she had brought and pulled out her favorite, compact grapple.

She looked quickly about the area for observers, then aimed and fired the anchor; she guided its flight to impact the right location, stepped up onto the railing, and pulled hard. When the line held, she held out a hand to him. _Hold on tight. _

_To you or the line? _Shemric wondered.

_Me. I'll have to play out the line so we swing down to that balcony there. Do not worry. I have done this before. _Shem wrapped his arms around her neck and jumped with her when she moved. She put them down comfortably on a balcony, and they landed adeptly with only a small use of the Force to cushion their impact.

Julienne put the grapple back in her beaded bag, peered in through the sliding door, thenkeyed it open with another device. The family of four that was sitting at the table eating dinner looked at her with wide eyes as she walked through their apartment with a finger to her lips. Shemric mouthed "_Sorry_," quietly; then they were out the front door into a hallway.

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, they followed a meandering course through the city that circled back onto itself once and required one more swing from building to building. This last was to a brightly lit building with hot tubs on the balconies. _Here is our hotel, _she said, smiling._ We will not be taking the elevator. _Shemric saw goggling partiers eyeballing them as they swung the short distance from what was one hotel to the other. Then they were calmly dropping onto yet another balcony. The very drunk man in the hot tub lifted his drink in salute, and the two women with him giggled.

Once into the hallway, Julienne checked her hair and make-up in a mirror, gave him a radiant smile, and took his hand to stroll down the hallway. They went up and down three elevators until she led him to a door bearing the number 5687.

She did not pull out a room key card, but inserted her device that opened the door nonetheless. _The room is registered to someone else. They are not supposed to check in until tomorrow, but their reservation includes tonight, so they will be surprised when they show up and find out someone already checked in for them. But, I did pay for the rest of their days, so they should not complain too much. Even Sith don't draw too much attention to themselves with this cloak-and-dagger stuff. It's unwise, as is what we're about to do._

Shemric gave her a sheepish look when he saw the inside.

_You just wanted a large bed so we did not fall out in the middle of wrestling, _he accused.

She gave him a coquettish look and went straight to the bed. _I think it is time for you to work some of your healing magic on me. Wearing heels is hard on your legs and feet._

"I am sure I can help with that," he said. He removed both her shoes but took her right leg first and started to work his thumb down her arch. She felt the flow of Force healing combined with his strong fingers and she could not help but let out a low moan of pleasure. Julienne laughed at Shemric, and he asked why.

"You could make a fortune at any expensive hotel just by giving foot massages."

"Well, at least I know I have a paying future," he said.

"Indeed." She rose off the bed and reinserted her feet in her heels, locking gazes with him. "Were you a proper Devaronian, you would know what to do with your yum-yum, but as you are not, I will show you."

* * *

"A credit for your thoughts," Shemric murmured fondly afterward, gazing at Julienne.

She was sitting on a chair on the balcony, wrapped in one of the bedsheets, as the lights of the city came alive. She started at his voice, then smiled at him when he sat next to her. His entire aura in the Force had changed over the past few hours. That had always been the way with him, since they had first become intimate on Balmorra. Giving him a piece of herself had always had a transformative effect on him. He became more confident, more malleable, more content with his lot and immensely more she wished to, she could have turned him. But then, that was not quite right either, since she was hardly steeped in Darkside secrets herself. They were both Force-users walking the line between Light and Dark.

What Shemric called manipulation, Julienne like to think of as shaping. She was a master sculptor, molding his loyal and lustful clay into a form that would stand the scrutiny of the greatest experts and skeptics. It was how she managed to live with the things that she did to and would do to him; when she was finished, he would be an unbreakable masterwork.

When he nudged her again, she came back to herself and smiled at him. That always had a beneficial effect of delaying questions, but this time she intended to answer.

"I was thinking that giving you a small part of myself always has a nurturing effect on your spirit, far beyond the value of my contribution," she said.

He looked at her sharply, as if he had been surprised that she had answered and even more surprised at her honesty. He was thinking furiously; then his mind seemed to come to some conclusion and was calm.

"You undervalue what you give, and what we give to one another," he said. "What we share is the best part of ourselves: the part that allows us to create a new generation. What is our point if we do not pass our knowledge down to the children that follow us?"

The idea he planted in her head exploded, and she gasped at the intensity of the vision that came. She saw herself holding a small child, and the look on her face was all she needed to know that it was her own. Unlike most visions, this one unfurled rapidly to follow the path of her seed down through generation after generation. The ripple effect of her children would change the galaxy. And they would call her Mother. The title seemed to her more honorable and full of love and devotion that she wouldn't have traded for any Sith title, not eventhat of the Emperor himself. The wisdom she would gain from parenthood would teach her more than all the instructors in the Sith Academy. And, perhaps, Dark and Light would be balanced at last.

When she was able to focus again, Shem was watching her worriedly.

"How do your simple statements shift the paradigm of my complex thought processes?"

"Well, I'd tell you, but you would call me silly if I did," he said.

"Try me." She reached out and took his hand, sending him all the feelings of love that she could not put into words. Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes, and it was his turn to gasp.

Julienne was glad. She sensed what was coming would test them harder than either had ever been tested. They would need to be of one mind if they were going to survive. They were not ready for that yet, and she guessed there would be some rough times as each came to acknowledge things about the other that were difficult to accept.

"You saw something there," said Shemric, waiting for her to explain.

"Not yet," she said. "Not for some time."

He appeared disappointed, but nodded and looked away.

A long, hard road lay ahead of them before she would hold that tiny child, but knowing it was there changed something inside her. Knowing that she wanted to have that child was as much as surprise to her as the vision.


	7. Chapter 7

"I thought they were called the Unknown Regions for a reason," Shemric noted as Julienne was setting their hyperspace course. She had taken him to a small but serviceable ship built as a high-speed luxury transport, but on the inside was actually a weapon-smuggling vessel. All the luxury seats, tables and amenities had been removed to make way for cargo.

"Well, I bribed a navigator from Malgus' last jump to tell me where he went," she said. "Some of the Dark Council just want him away from DromundKaas, and some wish he would just disappear. Instead he is looking for new worlds to conquer, and he has been grinding his way through the Unknown Regions. Recently he found a place way out on the end of the spiral arm beyond know Sith space. The planet is called Belkadan, and we are taking the Hydian all the way out to Ruuria. From there, we will have four or five short jumps before we arrive."

"So what are two people supposed to do there?"

"What does this ship look like?" she asked.

"It's a smuggling vessel, obviously," he said.

"Yep, so we are going to smuggle," she said.

"And why did you need me for this?" he asked.

Julienne feigned a hurt expression. "You mean you were not happy to see me?" He scowled at her, so she laughed and continued. "It is going to involve a lot of boring space travel. After my second run, I decided I needed a partner." She gave him her most winning smile. "Thanks for coming, partner." He shook his head at her. "What? I spent nearly two years on that miserable Balmorra for you. You cannot come and help out your yum-yum?"

"Are you going to explain what that means?" he asked.

"It is a Devaronian word for lover," she said. "More like love-slave, but …" Julienne shrugged her shoulders, watching for his he be offended or pleased?

"Oh," he said. "Well … "

The expression on his face at that moment made all the teasing worth it. "You do not think that is a proper description of our relationship?" she asked.

"Well, we _are_ friends," he said.

She snickered as she pulled back on the hyperdrive, and the stars blurred. "Do you do what we did last night with any of your other friends?"

"No!"

"With _anyone_ else?"

"No!"

"Well, there you go," she said. "That makes me your yum-yum."

"And does that make me _your_ yum-yum?" he asked.

Now she really laughed. "No," she said. "Yum-yum is a decidedly sexist term."

"And why does it amuse you to use it?" he asked

"I don't know; I just find it funny," she said. "I cut off the arm of the last guy who called me yum-yum, but I will not do that to you." She glanced over at him. "Oh, I am sorry, does that make you uncomfortable? Will you feel better if I tell you he was aiming a blaster at me?"

"A little," he admitted.

"Well, he was," she said. "It was purely self-defense."

He looked miffed, but she knew it was just his lingering discomfort with her being a Sith warrior and in truth, an enemy to his Republic. One day he would get it, but for now she knew she needed to shield him from the worst of what she had done.

Even now she could sense his thoughts churning about whether this mission was something that served the Republic and, more importantly in Shem's mind, what was right. A few more reminders about what Malgus had done to his friends at the Jedi temple would probably suffice. In the meantime, she gave him a tour of the ship, thendragged him off to the pilot's cabin, which was the only bunk was not that large, but he did not seem to mind.

Neither of them was particularly tired, so they lay together in the dark and enjoyed each other's presence. After a while she told him to stop thinking so much. "Tomorrow will get here when it gets here. Just go to sleep." She used her most subtle suggestion to tweak his circadian response,and he nodded off soon enough. Julienne was happy not to be obligated to think about anything for a few days, and she followed him to sleep in moments.

**Ruuria**

"I told you the journey would go by quickly," she said as they were again sitting in the pilot and navigator stations. Julienne knew that she sounded smug, but it was amusing to observe how much the stolid, reserved Jedi Knight enjoyed the physical part of their relationship. She sensed a bit of guilt about how much he liked it in his thoughts, but it never stopped him the next time an opportunity arose. He snorted loudly at her comment.

"So Ruuria is hardly an interstellar hub of illicit weapons sales; why are we here?" he asked.

"My master is sending the shipments out from this location," she said. "No one pays attention to this place, although it is the jumping off point to the Unknown Regions."

They were dressed as ship pilots and ragged ones at that, so no one noticed them as they made their way through the small spaceport to a restaurant where they were to meet their contact for the run. A Ruurian was already waiting, its feathered head fluttering.

"It is most excellent to see you again, Ms. Qually," the insect-like creature began. She glanced at Shemric and did not continue until Julienne nodded. "I noted your arrival, and loading of items began shortly after you left your ship. By the time you have finished a meal at this most excellent diner, all should be ready."

"The usual?" asked Julienne.

"Indeed," said the Ruurian. "And my payment."

"The usual," said Julienne.

The Ruurian made a sign of pleasure and thanked her before moving off on its fourteen legs.

"So that is all?" asked Shemric.

"No, now we enjoy a meal. It really is a decent diner, and I'm tired of space rations."

"Agreed," said Shemric.

"And our next contact will meet us here as well," she said as she perused the menu. Halfway through eating, a rather ordinary looking human woman with dark hair and an angular face joined them and greeted Julienne. However, Julienne knew the woman who called herself Ulika did not like her and only cared that Julienne delivered on time; the relationship was far from cordial. One breach of protocol meant disaster for herself and Shemric.

"Do you have the weapons?" she said without preamble.

"They are being loaded," said Julienne. "Do you have a location for me?"

"The coordinates are the same as the last run," said Ulika. Julienne did not say anything, biding her time and taking another bite of food before answering.

"You know I won't go to the same place twice," she said mildly and continued eating. Julienne felt the tension rise among the three of them, despite the casual atmosphere.

"We cannot find an unlimited number of landing locations that fit your criteria!" Ulika whispered rather fiercely. "The last shipment took nearly a week to reach our freedom fighters."

Julienne shrugged as if to say, "That is not my problem." The woman's face reddened.

"We are prepared to take the shipment ourselves, then," she said eventually. "We will pay the same amount, minus your shipping cost."

Julienne gave her a flat look. "That is not how this works. If I just release the shipment to you it could end up anywhere." She slapped a memory stick down on the table. "This is where I will be. Do not make me wait." Julienne finished her food and stood up, which was Shemric's cue to join her. The woman rose to her feet angrily and opened her mouth to speak.

"You will return to your friends and tell them that business was concluded," said Julienne.

"I will return to my friends and tell them that business was concluded," repeated the woman.

"Go now," said Julienne.

Ulika turned and left.

Shemric blinked. "You used a mind trick on her, didn't you?"

Julienne nodded. "I had to. She and her ilk are going to cause problems unless I make an example of someone soon," she mused. "Well, that is a problem for later. Let us go looking for a better sleeping mattress." They roamed about the spaceport looking for supplies and rented a hovercart to bring it all back to the ship. Loading it up was tricky, as the ship had been crammed from top to bottom with well-secured cases. There was very little room to maneuver. In fact, you could not even access the back half of the ship. You had to unload from front to back.

"Hopefully we do not have to make any repairs along the way," noted Shemric.

"I do not know anything about starships," said Julienne, "so it hardly matters."

"Quarters are going to be pretty tight; howwill you keep in shape?" he asked.

"Mostly the treadmill, but I cannot say I really like it," she said. "I certainly never used it as much as you did on the run in to Ruuria."

"Well, I do not fancy running into Darth Malgus without being ready for him," said Shemric. "We are going to have to figure out something."

"How are we going to run into that nightmare?" she asked. That possibility was exactly why Shemric was here, but his assumption that this would simply happen was something she found quite interesting.

"You do not think he is going to come and look for us eventually?" asked Shemric. "I daresay he isn't thrilled with the opposition here."

"It is a big planet with lots of forests," she said.

"Well, if I am going to be a part of this silliness, then we are going to train," said Shemric.

She shrugged. "What did you have in mind?"

Shemric stood thinking, then asked Julienne for some credits that would not be traceable. "I will be back in a while," he said.

Julienne told him to meet her back at the ship. When he returned with a hover cart and loaded it in, he claimed he would explain later.

With the ship crammed full of weapons, they had almost no room to spread out. What had seemed spacious, with room to do some hand-to-hand sparring was now claustrophobic. They had the small cockpit with two chairs, the stewards' space that was narrow enough he could touch both sides of the cabin, then the small exercise area that had a fold-up treadmill with a few machine weights that came out of the walls. Opposite the exercise area was the refresher, which washed people and clothes with equal effectiveness and did not use any water. The doors were small enough you could not enter or leave at the same time. They shared the captain's berth, which was really a single-wide bunk with enough headspace to sit up.

"That is going to be a tight fit," he noted when they fitted their new, thicker mattress into the captain's bunk.

"Oh, do not complain," she teased. "It just means I cannot escape from you when you cannot keep your hands off me at night."

"True enough," he smiled. She playfully smacked his hands away when he reached for her.

The first jump was supposed to last a little more than a day, so once they were in hyperspace, Shemric explained his plan.

"So we are going to play this virtual reality game together," he began. "It is just a first-person view shooting game that was recommended to me because it was realistic. I do not really care about the game mechanics as much as I do learning to work together and help each other without thinking about it."

Julienne thought the idea might have merit. She had never really played such games before; when your life was an adventure, games were just a disappointment. She put on a helmet that had the VR screen, and they began to play. By the time they had made their fifth jump on the way to Belkadan, they were virtually running around, shooting and coordinating fire like they had been training together for years.

In the middle of one firefight, a recreation of the Battle of Alderaan, they actually had to battle Darth Malgus as the final boss. One of them had to play Jedi Satele Shan and one the soldier, Jace Malcolm. By then they had mastered the gameplay well enough that it was not very difficult on normal mode, so once finished, they went back and tried it on the now-unlocked, highest-difficulty mode. After numerous failures, Julienne felt their shared consciousness merge in a new way. It was like they knew exactly what the other person was going to do. Rather than being two people fighting together, they merged in such a way that it felt more like the right and left arm working together on the same body.

They had done something similar on Balmorra, but it had been years and they were disconcerted in the beginning. At first, it made their gameplay worse, and they were kicked back to a restart several times.

_This could be useful_, she said tentatively.

_Let us try this on another round_, he suggested.

They began to play that segment of the game again, but their movements became so much more coordinated that they finished it without incident. It was almost comical how easy it was when you did not have to think about what the other person was doing. They began laughing, and Shemric was not sure if he had started it or Julienne and then decided it did not matter. They felt a moment of disorientation as they 'detached' from each other, and Shemric felt like he was slammed back into his own body with a resounding thud. He removed his VR helmet as she was doing the same, and they gazed at each other in silent admiration. Had it only been a simulation?

"That was … " he began.

"… remarkable," she finished for him. "Are we going to be … "

" … finishing each other's sentences now? That could get annoying."

"Well, at least we smashed Malgus," she said with a smile.

"I have a feeling the real one is going to be a lot more formidable," he said.

They discussed it as they came out of hyperspace above the large sphere of the planet Belkadan. From space it was green and blue with cloud systems like many planets that did not have climate-controlled weather.

They entered the atmosphere and outran or outmaneuvered Malgus' picket ships before hiding in the mountains for a time. When a few hours had passed, they made a shorter hop to the landing point and unloaded all the crates of weapons.

"At least we will have some space for the trip back," Shem noted.

"True; it is a shame there is not enough space to swing a lightsaber," she said. "I miss the beatings you used to hand out."

"No, you do not," he said as he dropped the crate onto the last pile. "You like to give out the pain, not receive it."

"Oh, yeah," she smiled at him. "Not that I ever did better than draw even against you."

"That makes me want to ask how competent you are or were against your peers," said Shemric. "Rarely was I ever challenged by my fellow Jedi to the extent you did."

"That's because they weren't trying to hurt you," she said. It was true. She imagined Jedi training was very soft and safe.

"And you were?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course I was," she said in an exasperated voice. "How else were you going to gain any benefit from it?"

Shemric appeared to be digesting that for a while. "I think I did you a disservice. No matter how much I wanted to beat you, I was never really trying to harm you."

She scowled at him. "Until the real fight at the end. I know. When you came at me with every intent to pummel me into submission, I was not prepared for it. You never showed me that kind of ferocity before."She paused. "You were almost Sith-like in your determination."

"No. I simply had to hurt you that day," he said absentmindedly.

"Why?" she asked. He had never mentioned that before. The way she asked the question jerked his head around. She watched him very intently. "Why 'had to?'" she asked.

"The vision I told you about was very specific," he said. "It even showed me the burn scars you would have years later."

That was very interesting. When he had to, Shemric could be as brutal as one of her own kind, even to the extent of giving her wounds that he had seen in a vision. Without really thinking about it, she rubbed the scars on her upper arms. He had done that to her on purpose. Somehow, it made her feel better.

"When I returned to Darth Acina, she found my fighting skills to be quite formidable," said Julienne, still with her back turned. "I think it is because we combined the best of the two schools of training." She turned back to meet his eyes. "The Sith do not believe in using practice weapons. The threat of injury or death makes every training session more intense, more real. You never doubt that the next mistake could mean your end. Training accidents are … regrettable." She snorted loudly. "I suspect, in your Jedi training, every care is taken to shield the younglings from harm. They are allowed to grow and experiment with their style until they are comfortable. I think it allows them to make mistakes and learn from them.

"As a Sith apprentice, you cannot afford mistakes," she said. "Oh, some masters might forgive you an error here or there, but many would just kill you and move on. When we fought … well, I _was_ trying to injure you. I knew the practice blades stung and other objects would hurt if they hit you. I think you knew it and accepted it and it made you a better fighter. With practice blades you attacked me with much greater effort than you would have if the lightsabers could harm or kill. That helped me. We both benefited."

He met her eyes and nodded. "I am much too fond of you to ever really want to hurt you. I could … try, though."

"Try or succeed? In order to do either, I'm sure you'd need a vision to show you the way." The bitterness in her voice unnerved her, but it felt good. She wanted to give Shemric a real test.

"Well, when we drop this shipment off, we need to find ourselves a nice quiet piece of jungle to test it out, do we not?" he asked.

"That sounds like a grand idea," she said. "Now let's go meet these 'freedom fighters.'" In other words, terrorists to the Republic and assets to the Empire. Antics with semantics.

"You mean they are not meeting us here?" he asked.

"By all the dead ghosts of Korriban, no!" she said. "They come and take our cargo away, and we leave before they can get half a klick."

They executed the meeting, and Julienne was glad to have Shemric there with her. When he wanted to, he could exude a threat of violence that was quite perceptible to others. She doubted this particular group of "freedom fighters" would have paid up had he not been there.

They departed quickly and moved the ship to a new location in the forest.

"I am going to take your advice and get some exercise before we try to leave the planet this time," she said. "I've been working on Coruscant most of the last eighteen months since we parted, and I've not sparred with anyone that entire time. Plus, the delay should help. The people looking for my departure will not like waiting, and we can train for a while before heading back to Ruuria. First though, I need a nap."

It was mid-day by the time they woke, and they had a passable meal from the ship's stores. When they stepped out into the mid-afternoon heat, the humidity hit them immediately.

"Oh, this is going to be sticky," noted Julienne.

Shemric nodded agreement. They moved further into the trees, away from the ship. The plant growth underfoot was not so thick as in other places, but the ground was still uneven. It would prove challenging terrain on which to train.

When they faced off, they looked at each other uncertainly. The last time they had done this he had beaten her and choked her unconscious.

She read his thoughts and commented. "Oh, I remember well enough," she said. "It took me a while before I was not angry at you for that."

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She gave him a sour look and threw her lightsaber at his head. It was instinctual and meant to get him worked up if she could, but he caught it easily. Catching it took his attention off her for a moment, and she leaped and kicked him in the chest. He went sprawling and rolled to his feet, angry, just in time to dive aside as she tried to kick him in the face. He sent a Force blast to keep her back and threw her saber back at her, perhaps a bit too hard. She did not even have time to catch it, she only dodged and then it was his turn to try and kick her back. She was ready for him and caught his foot and twisted but he was already swinging a blow at her shoulder with his saber and she had to let go to dodge.

They both came to their feet with lit sabers in hand. He did not wait for her to attack, but crashed down on her with Djem So, which forced her to back up using Soresu. Julienne snarled and tried to blast him, but he absorbed it and sent it back to her in the form of lightning that touched her shoulder and made her hair stand on end until she was able to deflect the rest with her practice blade. She had forgotten how much uncertainty there was when you fought Shemric. It made him more dangerous than all but the most powerful Sith she had met.

She tossed a clod of dirt at his face, but he ducked and kicked her blade hand. She lost her grip but caught it in her other hand and tried to catch him with a downward strike. He parried it and switched to Makashi in an attempt to catch her blade, but she fell into Soresu again until Shemric jumped back and started laughing.

Julienne was not amused. "You are no gentleman, Shemric Norm, nor much of a Jedi either if you are going to try and fry me with lightning." She rotated her shoulder and grimaced.

"Well, that was what you wanted, was it not?" he asked. "Someone to test you and make you better." She pouted; he'd called her out, and if there was anything a Sith hated…"You are just angry that, despite everything, I am still better at this than you are." She knew it for true, but he did not have to sound so satisfied when he said it. She ignited her blade and rushed him with more than a bit of real anger coursing through her.

She drove him back steadily and pulled at the Force to aid her power. She was starting to feel more confident when a wet clump of earth slapped her in the side of the face. It was so surprising that she lost her saber. The anger and irritation helped her to form an incredible flash of sheet lightning that he did not manage to entirely deflect. It knocked him off his feet as a root caught his ankle, and he went sprawling.

Julienne went out searching for her lightsaber and closed down her Force awareness while she ran. She leaped into a tree, then reached out and pulled anything loose in the area to toss at him. His leap meant she had missed. She ripped a tree limb free and sent it flying his way, then followed close behind. He tossed it aside easily and was prepared when she flew at him with flashing saber.

She was really worked up now and flailed at him with all the power she could muster, but he just stood there and caught it on his blade as if this was a lark for him. Suddenly, he switched forms again and began to drive her back relentlessly, with such speed that she could not think of anything but defense. When he kicked her in the stomach, she collapsed and gasped for air. It was _just_ like old times; when she thought he had an advantage, he just slapped her down.

But he had not been gentle about it, and that was exactly what she had asked of him. The anger leaked out of her, and she sent him an outpouring of affection that lit up his face in surprise. When she looked up, there was a smile on her very dirty face.

"Seriously? Do you only pull that out craziness when you want to beat me down?" she asked.

"It's a mood thing," he mumbled. "You can't practice it at anger has to be real."

"Well, it is not like any form I was ever taught," she said.

He offered her a hand up, and the touch brought their Force-connection into sharp clarity. He wondered how much of her anger before had been feigned.

_And were you so very angry with me? _Julienne asked.

_Of course I was. You always make me angry when you insist that I hurt you. It worked exactly the way you intended__,__ so do not blame me for your bruises or your dirty face. _

_A little pain is necessary for improvement__. I surely improved myself today. _

At that moment, Julienne looked off into the distance and focused on something. It was alive, but not human.

"The local fauna?" he asked.

_Probably_. _How about we go torment the poor beast instead __of __beating on each other?_

_Sounds fine to me_, he replied.

_Stay with me, then_, she said, then retrieved her saber and loped off into the forest.

He rode her consciousness and looked out of her eyes in the way they had learned together with the game. It was even more disconcerting than when they had begun to play the game in the spaceship, because now they had different surroundings. She could feel Shemric's misgivings. The cat was large, and its aura emanated hunger. It was scared of these odd intruders but could smell that they were meat as well.

_I am not sure this is a great idea, _Shemric pointed out. _This thing is a living, __breathing predator. It's not in the mood for playtime._

_If we are going to defeat Darth Malgus__,__ we are only going to be able to do it together, _she said. _For that we are going to need some practice with something that means us harm. We need to work on keeping it centered. Stay sharp! I am going in, _she said, ignoring him.

Julienne stalked the creature quietly. The low light from the tree shade did not help. When she was close, she tossed a chunk of dirt at it.

The feline that burst out of the undergrowth was bigger than Julienne had expected. Its red crest gave it a fierce appearance as it looked about in anger and surprise, locking on Shemric first. It leaped at him in two great bounds. Shemric waited until it closed in, then moved suddenly, scoring a hit on its side that brought an eerily human-like scream as it swiped a paw at his face. It landed and charged again. Julienne moved to intercept it, waving her saber and causing it to dodge sideways and come back at her from a different beast was quick, and it took every bit of concentration to continue to center the creature between them and confuse it. At several points, they lost each other's point of view and had to reconnect while avoiding the big cat, but as they worked at it, it became easier, until it was clear the beast was tiring.

_Let it go, _suggested Shemric. _ I think we have __bugged__ the poor bugger quite enough._

Julienne jumped straight up into a tree and came to rest on a limb fifteen meters up. The cat used the opening to slink off into the brush and disappear. When she sensed the beast was far away, she left her perch and landed next to Shem. "I hope you can sense where the ship is from here," she asked. "We have roamed quite far."

He led the way back and shared an energy bar as they walked in silence. Julienne finally broke the silence.

_You are unusually quiet, _she said.

"Which is your way of saying I talk too much the rest of the time," he mumbled.

_No, that is my way of saying you tend to overanalyze everything, _she said.

He snorted and kept on walking in silence.

_You do not seem angry with me, _she said. It was not quite a question.

_Why would I be? At every turn, on every occasion since we met__,__ you made me a better fighter._

_But you do not like what I do to bring that out in you, _she said: not a question at all.

_No, frankly, I do not. But that is hardly your fault. I want everything to end happily with all sides satisfied._

_And you are not … satisfied? _The feelings with which she accompanied that thought made it … well, indecent.

_I think the word for you is __"incorrigible," _he said.

_Only if you insist on trying to correct me, _she said. _ If you just let me be__,__ then you would have a great chance of being … satisfied. _"And now you are shaking your head again," she said out loud. Shemric did that in her presence so often it was a wonder he did not have neck issues.

"I do that more around you than any other being I ever met," he admitted.

"I guess I am incorrigible," she said, but she was smiling as she said it.

"You have dirt in your hair, you know."

"I am aware," she said, hopping up onto a tree root to look down at him. "I quite remember how it got there. Your aim was excellent. And yes, it does irritate me that no matter how much stronger I become in the Force, no matter how much I learn, you always seem a step ahead of me."

_It does not have to be a competition._

She stood there gazing at him for a long time. Once again, he made simple statements, and in them she understood why the two of them were so different. He needed to know. "It was always a competition at the Sith Academy. Every moment of every day in any way possible. And the losers did not end up as farmers; they ended up dead."

She could see him trying to imagine what it had been like, but it was impossible. She brought up memories of what it had been like and combined it with the dread and other emotions that had been part and parcel of her training. The hopelessness, the misery, the fear of failure. The feelings she dredged up were horrible, and she saw that it had brought forth tears that were running down his face. She could see and feel how his perception of her was changing. She pulled back and let him down gently.

He snuffled in embarrassment and wiped at his face.

_It does not bother me, much. I do not blame you for being a weak-kneed, soft-hearted Jedi. It is just who you are. _

He laughed out loud at that and she jumped down from the root and continued to duck and weave through the undergrowth until they made it back to the ship.

"It is a battle now between my stomach and my desire to be clean," she said as she keyed the door code.

"Well, since you kind of smell bad … "he teased. She threw her shirt to hit him in the head. _For that, you get to wait until I am finished in the fresher._

After they had cleaned up and eaten, they sat in the only seats in the ship, that of the pilot and navigator.

_Sometimes, when you are angry, you seem a different person, _she began.

_I'm sure of that. An angry person, not at all like my normal self._

_Anger can be justified, she said. It is not always __bad, and doesn't always lead to the Dark Side. Sometimes__ it can keep you alive. _

_Sometimes it can make you do things you would rather not, _Shemric said.

_Like hurt me?_

_Yes._

She sat up on his lap and looked him directly in the eyes, unblinking. _Were you so very angry at me on Balmorran, then?_

_I thought I __was. __Afterwards I realized I was not really angry at you, I was just angry._

_At yourself? _Julienne asked, feeling curious.

_No. At life. At the Force. Most of all__,__ at my vision. I wanted to see a vision that would bring me hope and __peace. Well__, I got hope, but the peace still has not arrived. I wonder if we will survive long enough to see it._

_I refuse to worry about it, _she said_. _She leaned over to his chair and kissed him, but not like when she'd been trying to seduce him. It was just a kiss of companionship. _We have today, we might have __tomorrow. The__ next day is too far away to give it much thought. _

_Well, today has been good, he said. _"Though not so much for that poor cat," he said out loud.

She laughed and sat quietly for a time. "I am about ready to take a break from this smuggling, if only to get away from the frozen meals," said Julienne.

"How many runs did you make before you came looking for me?" he asked.

"Well, first of all, I did not 'come looking for you'," she said. "I knew exactly where you were and have since we parted on Balmorra. Second, I do not really 'need' help, really. I came looking for company."

He nodded. Julienne suspected he could have found her easily, especially after he learned she was on Coruscant, but had chosen to heed her warning.

"So to answer your question, three times," she said. "By the last one, I was so bored out of my mind that I was fantasizing about you. Why do you think I found that yum-yum costume?" She smiled at his bark of laughter.

"Well you could not have been any more bored than I was, hanging out in the capital and running errands," he said. "I needed a night job just to keep my sanity."

"A night job I suggested, if you will remember," she pointed out.

"How could I ever forget Julienne Qa as a redhead?" he said.

They put away their dishes and started to discuss if they should stay longer or take off during the soon-to-come darkness. Since they were both tired, they decided to sleep on it and move at first light.


	8. Chapter 8

Chap 8

The trip back to Ruuria was enjoyable if uneventful and Julienne left Shem in the ship to go and meet her contact. It took all of Julienne's considerable self-control to not react when Darth Acina revealed herself in the Force when Julienne entered the location of her contact's meeting point. It was a seedy diner, dimly lit and a little grungy that fit the area well, but not the kind of place she intended to eat. Her master's presence flared in her mind and she immediately turned in that direction. She kept her own thoughts and worries of Shemric to herself lest her master glean them and question her.

"Master," she said, bowing slightly when she sat. Darth Acina had probably been an attractive woman once, if small, but now she only appeared stern and demanding.

"Well, my apprentice, it seems you have been busy," she said in a gravelly voice. "You have made a number of shipments now." It was not a question. "What do you think of the task?"

"It is something I can do, but it is not particularly challenging," said Julienne. "Any good smuggler can do it."

"Then why do you think I sent you?" said her master.

"Because it is only the opening gambit," said Julienne.

"Exactly," said Acina. "As you have begun to annoy Malgus now, it is time to move to the next phase. I sense from your aura that you have recruited your former Jedi lover. That is good. I doubt you could overcome Malgus on your own."

Julienne kept her thoughts wrapped tightly and suppressed the shiver she felt at her master's words. The woman had _expected _her to do it and worked it into her plans. She was reminded more than ever before that she was just a tool.

"Yes, my tool," said the Sith Lord and she did not even sound angry. "I kept you after the Fright debacle and you have served me well. You will continue to serve me well; you and your _Jedi" _Acina always said that word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth, "with you. You will both serve me very well. You will retrieve your things from the ship you have been using and go to this location," she passed across a data card, "to pick up your new shipment. It will be a freighter that is much larger and harder to fly, so I suggest you find a gravity well before Belkadan and learn how it maneuvers. This time you will you will not need to return to Ruuria. I am sending a larger ship straight to Ord Janon. It will orbit the planet while you make the necessary trips back and forth."

Julienne wanted to ask why they had not done that in the first place, but she knew better. One did not question Acina.

"I suspect that each trip will become more treacherous," said Acina. "They are heavy weapons and will be able to cause some real damage to Malgus' forces there. It will grow dangerous for you until you are able to lure Malgus out to deal with you himself. Then you are to kill him."

Julienne did flinch then. She had talked about it with Shemric, but Malgus was no easy target. They would probably both die in the attempt. It surprised her how much that thought pained her. She only nodded and kept her thoughts to herself. She could sense Acina weighing her and wondered how she would balance out.

"You think I send you to your death?" asked her master.

"It seems possible," said Julienne quietly.

"On the contrary, I have every hope for your success," said the woman. "I think you and '_your Jedi pet_' will do what others have been unable to accomplish."

"Is this a vision, Master?" asked Julienne quickly. She knew she was pressing her luck.

The woman let out a horrible, low laugh. "Not even a small one, Qa. I have simply put the right players on the board to defeat him. When you are finished, take some time away with your lover. Go on a vacation. Come back to me when you are ready to ascend."

Julienne did not dare look up and meet Acina's eyes. Something very odd was going on here. Instead of castigating here for the illicit relationship, she was encouraging it. She suddenly regretted involving Shemric in her business at all. She doubted it would be good for his health. When her master did not say anything further, she rose quickly and practically fled. Her extreme personal turmoil must have been obvious enough that even Shemric could sense it.

_Juju? Are you well? _came his very small, tightly controlled query.

_Not now! Stay where you are. I will come to you. _She pulled back her awareness and became very small in the Force as she mixed in with the crowd and headed in the general direction that she had sensed him. Every few minutes, she quested out lightly to get a direction before pulling back. It took longer, but she did not want to lead Acina or her agents to Shemric.

When she had passed the second time by the location where she suspected he was staying, she was suddenly jerked off the sidewalk into a doorway. She stifled a cry when she sensed it was Shemric and he hustled her indoors quickly.

"Do we need to flee?" he asked quickly.

"I do not believe so," she said. "Do you have a room?"

"No, there is a library across the street; that was where I was when you first 'called,'" he said.

"Let us find a place we can talk," she said. They headed out the back side of the building and merged into the crowd and tried to appear relaxed. They pointed out the sites to each other and ended up in a large food court where they ordered food and then sat down. Julienne had never felt less like eating, but she forced herself to take bite after bite and reached across to touch Shemric's hand. Physical contact significantly reduced the amount of Force energy required for the mind-to-mind contact.

_Darth Acina was waiting for me at my contact meet,' she opened. _She felt his alarm but he suppressed it and waited for her to continue. _She has given me a new ship that can carry heavy weapons and she is upping the ante. She is trying to draw Malgus out and we are the bait._

_We? _asked Shemric_._

_She knows about you._

He met her eyes then. _And? _he asked. He gave her a big, food-filled smile but she could sense his inner calm was precarious, like a body of water held back by a flimsy dam.

_She anticipated me going to you, said Julienne. She expected it and worked it into her plans. She believes between us that we can defeat Malgus and strengthen her position on the council._

He was mentally silent for a time even while he continued to smile and eat their meal. Finally, he asked a question that made Julienne think furiously.

_Are you worried because she knows about me, or because she expects us to get rid of Malgus for her? _he asked.

_Yes, both. _She must have sounded panicky and she realized at that moment how much she had changed. She was worried about Shemric's safety. More than she was worried about her own. It was an epiphany that left her somewhat stunned. When she met Shemric's eyes he had an insufferably smug look on his face. And he sent her such a flood of affection that tears practically leaped from the corner of her eyes. She jerked her hand back to break the connection and looked away. It did not completely break them apart at this proximity, but it reduced the firehose blast he had sent her to a trickle she could handle.

Julienne met his eyes to see if her pulling back had offended him, but he was simply watching her face, waiting. She reached her hand back across the table to take his.

_I am sorry, that was … abrupt, _she said. He showed unprecedented wisdom and remained silent. _She promised me ascension if we succeed. _When she saw his confusion, she explained. _It is what some Lords call their Naming or the day they attain their title. _

_And is that what you want? _he asked. There was no judgment in his tone, just curiosity.

_I do not really know, _she admitted_. I care not at all for the title, but I feel like it is the next step in what I … what I need to do. I think it will get me a step closer to… something._

_And we need to get rid of Malgus to do it? _he asked. _You think we will not succeed?_

_It is kriffing insane! she said. _She knew she was still close to hysteria and Shemric was sending her a calm, soothing sensation so subtly that she almost did not notice it. _Malgus is the guy that took down Coruscant and burned your temple to the ground. What chance are we going to have against him?_

_Well, I have seen the video of the Temple attack… _and she gave him a sharp look. He continued calmly. _The security cameras recorded the entire attack. It leaked eventually and made it out there onto the holonet. Malgus is good, but he had a lot of help. His Twi'lek partner, a Mandalorian, and a whole shuttle full of Sith warriors. Oh, he is very good, do not take this wrong. His saber skills are better than solid, he is incredibly powerful and tosses lightning and other Force powers like he has them to spare. But he has never met two people like us._

Julienne sat back and let out a loud breath she had not really noted she was holding. Shemric's confidence was reassuring. He had studied the Sith's fighting style and he made good points. Shemric and Julienne _were_ different. Together they had survived situations that should have killed them and yet, had not. Perhaps this was another. Still, they could just as easily end up dead in some forgotten jungle on the edge of the galaxy.

_We could just leave, _he suggested tentatively. It was not a hope-filled statement, just the voicing of a possibility.

_How does that feel to you? _she asked.

_Like avoiding responsibility, he said._

That was exactly what she had been thinking. It was odd to feel that way about someone you had never met or seen. _You should leave, _she suggested. _I do not know how this became your fight except by association. _He smirked at her as if she was being silly. _ I do not like the fact that Darth Acina is anticipating our movements._

_Well, I am not excited about that either, but the fact remains, Malgus is a menace. I think we should follow this path to the end. It may be why the Force led us here in the first place._

She did not want to argue with him about his silly ideas of passive subservience to the Force; in no small part because she felt like he might be right in this case. It was not a very Sith-like philosophy. She reached into a pocket and pulled the data chip out to plug into her mobile device. It showed the location and specs of their new ship which she showed to Shemric.

"It does not look very maneuverable," he pointed out.

"No," was all she said. "Without any armament, I am not sure how we are going to fly that thing in and out for the two or three trips it is going to take to finish this. We are more likely to get vaporized than ever meet up with Malgus."

"Why not check it out first," he suggested. "Maybe there is more than meets the eye. We can always decide to run later. I feel responsible, but I am not suicidal."

She nodded and they cleaned up their food and made their way in the direction of the spaceport. Their relaxed pace conflicted with Julienne's internal desire to run the entire way and leave the planet. An inspection of the outer hull was not particularly promising but Shemric pointed out with amusement that at least there were no holes. Shemric's humor disappeared when they went inside and had a look at the cargo. He seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of weapons and systems and each new crate brought a new exclamation of surprise from him.

"Missile systems, mortars, high explosives, mines; this is some serious firepower," he said. "Most of it is fire and forget stuff. It is not the very best you can buy, but it is the best you can buy without spending a lot of time training the recipients. This can cause some serious mischief if properly applied."

"The idea was to draw Malgus' attention away from whatever else he is doing," she said. "Acina is putting herself out there with this, I suspect. Shipping perfectly good munitions to some backward planet cannot be perceived as a great idea from all corners."

"Well, should we fail, Acina will be the least of our problems," he said.

She snorted loudly and headed forward to check out the other accommodations. It had normal crew bunks for two, a small messing area and a much larger 'fresher than their previous ship. There was actually a center aisle that was nearly 30 meters long down the middle of the tightly packed munitions that allowed you to walk to the very back of the ship.

_You are going to want to see this, Shemric, she told him. _Shemric followed all the way to the back and whistled when he noted what she saw.

_That increases our chances considerably_, he pointed out. _That_ was a gun turret that retracted entirely into the ship to provide clandestine firepower to a ship that looked benign. He examined the weapon more closely before further commenting. "It is not new, but it is not old either. I think that they designed it for maximum surprise. You can target from inside and then pop up at the last minute to surprise pursuers. That only works the first time."

"Well, I am feeling a little better about this bucket," she said. "We might not die in here."

"That is the spirit," he said and punched her on the shoulder.

"I need to go clean my stuff out of the other ship; do an inventory of what we have here and see if we need to buy anything before we leave," she said. "If we can get off this rock sooner than later, I will be happier."

* * *

The trip to Belkadan was slower in the larger spaceship, but it was less cramped. Despite their fears, the descent, off-load, rendezvous and departure went off without a hitch. That is not to say that they did not have Empire ships chasing them on and off the planet, but none of them came close enough to even warrant targeting with the rear turret. Along the way they figured out that they had hidden front cannons as well, but the power source for the ship was not particularly great.

"We can probably use our shields, and either front or rear cannons, but not all three at once," said Shem.

"Still, it gives us more options," she returned.

The trip to Ord Janon was certainly shorter, but it meant they were headed back to Belkadan that much more quickly. The second time with the new ship, thought there was a complete lack of resistance when they entered the atmosphere and started to descend.

"Looks like nobody is home today," said Shem.

"Yeah, suspiciously so," said Julienne. "Let us be extra careful on this trip."

He nodded and they went through all of the normal precautions when they set down in the forest. It was possible that they had just timed their entry perfectly, but both of them felt pretty uneasy.

When they made the rendezvous with the resistance fighters, the problem because a little clearer. They followed the same precautions as before, but as they approached the meeting point, the people waiting for them were not natives. They were dressed in native garb, but their mannerisms and the way they held their rifles shout professional soldiers and that meant imposters.

"Hmm, I do not suppose these folks are here to buy weapons," said Shemric calmly while he thought. _I count four Force users and twelve other soldiers. Malgus does not think much of our skills, does he?_

Julienne knew that these were Sith. Maybe even Sith Rangers. _On three, then._

"Darth Malgus is willing to accept your surrender and eventual release in exchange for information on who is hiring you," said the lead Sith.

_One, began Julienne and moved away from Shemric. _She was going to take the leader.

"And we keep our weapons and just follow you to his location?" asked Shemric.

_Two_.

"Not quite that, but we were told that we need not restrain you."

_Three_, said Julienne and leaped toward the Sith leader, her silver blade igniting.

He was not bad and before reuniting with Shemric he might have posed a challenge, but now, with Shemric deflecting bolts over her shoulder and the element of surprise from having two attack sixteen, the Marauder was on his heels. When he stumbled, she blasted him with lightning and leaped to engage the next Marauder in line. She pulled deeply on the Force and battered his defenses quickly and struck him down. The next man faced her with a determined expression but fear rolled off of him and she did not even have to engage him before a deflected bolt struck in the side of the next.

Julienne moved towards the soldiers who were frantically firing but only hurting themselves as she used Djem So to aggressively reduce their number before she took the last one down with her blade. Shemric was beside her and surprised her with a shouted warning.

"What was that! You could have taken him prisoner," he said. Julienne turned to look at him with an expression of complete confusion.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. She was just coming down from the battle rage but her senses were still dialed up the maximum. "They were Sith warriors sent by Malgus to kill us."

"But they could do nothing against you," he said, "and you just slaughtered them."

"As they were firing at me," she pointed out.

"They were like children to you," he said.

"No, they were not," she said. This was the sentimental Shemric that was not going to survive their coming conflict. She needed to break him of this or they were dead. "I would never harm children. These were soldiers and they knew that fighting might get them killed." She looked at him a moment longer. "Are you telling me you took prisoners?"

"They dropped on the ground after I destroyed their weapons," he said.

"So while I was keeping up my side of the fight you were playing games with them!" She had to restrain herself from shouting at him, or worse. "This is a war, you fool. You are not showing them mercy; you are dishonoring why they fight. What? Now you will send them back to Malgus to try and kill us the next time."

"They were just tools of Malgus," he said.

"As we are tools!" now she was shouting. "You for your cursed Republic and me for the Empire. You do not get to decide who lives and dies on a whim. Malgus and all these men are your enemy."

"I will always show mercy when it is possible," he said.

"What mercy?" she spit back. "What do you think is going to happen to them when … if they return? You imagine Malgus will pat them on the head and tell them they did their best?" She sniffed in derision. "You better figure out what you are doing, and quickly or I will not risk my life with you. We play this game to the final move and win or lose together, but not if you are taking unnecessary risks to avoid killing the enemy, just to soothe your conscience."

Julienne stalked pasted him and suddenly her red saber glowed like blood as it hummed to life. She had been using the silver blade to fight the other Sith, but she always had her familiar crystal with her. She walked towards the prisoners and she sensed Shem was following her, but his emotions were on edge and he seemed as ready to fight her as he had the Sith a moment before.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What you should have done," she said.

"Julienne I am not going to let you … " he began.

She spun so quickly he nearly jumped back from the fire in her eyes. Her anger was taking on a killing edge and she got right up in his face. "You will not let me … what?" she said in a deadly quiet voice. "Then you better do it yourself, my dear."

"I am not going to kill them," he said.

"Neither am I," she said and spun away from him.

The three men were all kneeling with their hands on their heads where Shem had left them. With a negligent flick, Julienne gestured and two of the men flew across the clearing to slam against trees. At the same moment, the man in the center flew toward her. At the last moment she caught him by the throat and held him there off the ground. He clawed at her hand, but his eyes were bulging.

"Listen to me very carefully; I have a message for Darth Malgus," she said and her words came out so cold and harsh that she could feel Shemric's revulsion. "Tell him his reign of terror here is at an end. If he wants to keep sending lackeys to fight his battle for him then we will just keep sending you to your graves, but we expected better of him. Tell him we intend to keep delivering weapons to this planet until he is defeated. Unless he wants to come and stop us himself." She flicked her arm again and he flew across the space to hit and roll near his fellow soldiers.

She turned back to Shem and did not extinguish her blade. The expression on his face so enraged her that she swung at his head.

He refused to move and she stopped the humming blade fractions of millimeters from his forehead. "Why? What kind of soldier are you? To let an armed opponent inside your guard to kill you."

"When did you become my enemy?" he asked.

"I am Sith; I have always been your enemy," she said. She had not lowered her arm and the buzzing of the blade was loud in the silent clearing.

"Really, then what are we doing here?" he asked. Her arm was straining from holding there as if she was not sure what she should do.

"I am starting to wonder," she said and she blasted him away from her. He flailed, bounced and then skidded several times before rolling to his feet as she rushed at him. She stabbed at his chest and he crossed his hands in front of him and caught her blade in a sizzle of Force power that threw off sparks. She hesitated, shocked and he took advantage of her surprise to blast her away from him. She flew backwards and landed in a bush that barely cushioned the impact at all.

Julienned could feel him trying to connect to her thoughts but she shut him out. This time though, he forced his way in anyway. _Is this the only way you will respect me, dear Juju? Well then, so be it. _ He jerked her off the ground and ignited his blue blade that he also kept with him and he pulled her to him so that she went flying back, awkwardly trying to bring her red blade into a defensive position. He caught her blade on his and kicked her in the stomach. She had managed to avoid some of it but grunted and swiped weakly at him as they crashed to the ground. She clawed her way to her feet but he was on her immediately, driving her back step by step with little regard for defense.

Several times she tried to blast him with lightning and but he did not even bother to block it or take it in; with whip like movements he danced aside and kept attacking her until her grip faltered and she lost her saber. She was not sure she felt more shock or pain when he punched her in the face with the knuckles of the hand holding his own saber. She fell back and he shoved her with his boot so that she could not catch her balance. The impact knocked the breath out of her and he pounced, pinning her to the ground. He used his weight to hold her shoulders down with his knees and grabbed her head brutally by the hair until his face was inches from hers.

_We are who we are, we two, Juju. If you require my death for your life then you know it is yours, but you will only take it knowing it is my gift to you ._He kissed her then, roughly and with more than a bit of anger and when she finally responded, he bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. He leaped off of her and back flipped until he was a few meters away and then he stood unmoving and extinguished his saber. Her red one flew through the air to his hand and he tossed it to land next to her.

Julienne staggered to her feet with killing in her brain. She leaped at him with a wordless scream and her saber ignited and flew to her hand at the same time. He closed his eyes at the last moment, and she swung at his neck. Julienne could not truly say whether she had simply been to angry and unfocused to aim well or she had changed her mind at the last second but the killing blow hit in the shoulder instead and knocked him sideways so that he sprawled on the ground. He hissed at the smell of his own burning flesh but said nothing and waited. She stood over him, visibly shaking and with her saber drawn back to swing again.

Julienne reached out and sensed that if she struck again, he would do nothing. He truly meant to offer his life to her if she wished it. Finally, she let out a long, disgusted growl and threw the extinguished saber at him. "Sometimes I just want to punch you in your naïve, compassionate face," she said, finally meeting his eyes.

"No more than I want to grab you and shake you until your teeth rattle," he replied.

She gave him a flat look and they just stared at each other for long moments. "I cannot believe how you can get under my skin sometimes," she said and then she shook her head at him as he so often did to her. "Still, it seems I can ignite your temper well enough to bring on your best fighting skills. We need to figure out a way to do that in training so I can at least get some training benefit. The problem is, you go all feral and I am never expecting it."

"We shall see," he said. "Are we done here?" She was holding back from their mind to mind contact. She had no desire to feel whatever he was feeling at that moment.

"I believe so," she said. They took the speeder bike, but Shem did not hold to her tightly like he might have done. When she went to warm up the ship, he questioned her about immediately leaving.

"I have never landed and taken off so quickly," she said. "I want to be off this world sooner than later. Man the turret."

"We still have a hold full of weapons," he pointed out. "We are not going to be fast or maneuverable." She frowned but said nothing. His point was a good one but she was not thinking clearly. She went forward and brought the engines to life.

She swore before they had passed 500 meters of altitude and opened the commlink. "They were waiting, so you may as well start prioritizing targets."

"Roger," he said into the mike.

_Is that an entire squadron? _he asked. He could sense her hesitation but also her dismay at their numerical disadvantage. _Live or die together, Juju, _he pointed out.

_I am still pissed off at you, _she said.

_Noted, and I will properly apologize in ten minutes if all our atoms are still attached to each other, _he said.

He probably would apologize too, the idiot. Well, that was a problem for later. She pulled back on the throttle and they continued to accelerate under a terrible load. Breathing exercises kept her conscious but her vision was turning dark. When the shipped rocked under laser fire, she knew they were in trouble and her anger was going to get them killed. _Here we go, _she fired off, as if he had not felt it.

She watched the scanner as the enemy ships closed on them and wondered what in all the nine hells Shemric was doing.

_Level out and then slow roll_, he sent. She complied immediate and she felt the guns kick in. _Climb again, he ordered _but she was inside him now and complied before the words even came out.

By some great fortune he had taken out five ships in that first, surprise contact. Eleven remained and one slowly dropped away smoking.

_Well that was better than we might have hoped for, she said. They will not bunch up again though. _

_No, they will not. It is a race now to see whether we will escape the gravity well first or they destroy our shields. _

_We are not dying until I have kicked your ass, she said._

_Noted, _he replied.

He was firing again as the remaining ships closed and began pounding their shields. The seconds ticked by slowly and he spent energy recklessly, hoping to survive another few seconds. Two more ships exploded, but they were losing the race.

_Pulling power from the port and starboard shields, she said. Keep them off the sides. _She knew the cannons would need more power. The fighter ships' superior climbing ability meant that several of them had climbed up above the freighter and were going to try and pin them between the two groups.

_Standby to pause, she said. _They had one more surprise to play. The seconds ticked by—_Now! _Shemric stopped firing and the front cannons blared with light and reached out to the fighters ahead of them. She flew through the wreckage and noted on the screens that she had taken out two of the four fighters that had gotten above them. That meant there were five left. Now they were being cautious as they tried to avoid joining their departed brethren and that gave them a chance.

_Power at 25 percent, said Julienne.. Make 'em count or we are not going to make it back to Ord Janon._

_Roger. Put the power on the rear deflector and accelerate to max, he suggested._

The ship jumped upward again and cleared the atmosphere, accelerating into space.

_Give me thirty seconds, she said. We are going to micro-jump. _It was a huge risk. They could be stranded in space if it did not go well.

_No, I will keep them back! Get us to Ord Janon._

Julienne nodded grimly to herself and counted down to the navicomputers shrill beaping. The remaining ships closed quickly and pounded the rear shield. Shemric held fire until the very last moment and then opened up as two ships veered close to each other. He took them both in one short burst and then fired a warning shot that kept another ship back.

She did not see it with her own eyes, but when the jump calculator blared, she used the Force to move the stick faster than she could have with her arm.

_We cannot make two more runs, he pointed out. We will not survive. We need to be clever about this. _

She refused to answer and stood to walk back to the forward captains 'fresher. She stripped and stepped in quickly. Somehow she felt the anger and fear drift out of her as the sweat and grime was electromagnetically pulled off her body. She sensed Shemric coming forward and dressing. He was trying to avoid her and that was intolerable. She shut it off and wrapped in a thin robe and stepped out before he could leave the compartment.

"And you are going where?" she asked.

"I will sleep in the crew quarters," he mumbled.

"Really?" she said. Her tone made him turn and look at her. "You are going to run away? That never struck me as your style before."

_You do not seem to want my company_, he sent.

_I do not want you in my head right now, she said. I am thinking and I do not need your interruptions. _

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Did your parents never argue?" she asked. Another look of surprise was on his face. She had caught him off guard again.

"Actually, they did," he said. "Nothing crazy but they would disagree and raise their voices on occasion."

"Well, mine were pretty loud," she said.

He looked at her and she said nothing more.

"What? she asked.

"You have never brought up your parents before," he said. "You told me that you did not remember them."

She looked away. "When I went to Korriban there was so much that happened that I did not understand and I blamed my parents for not protecting me. Then as I grew and learned more, my instructors pounded into me that my parents were traitors to the Empire. Eventually I just blocked them out entirely." She shook her head. "You make me feel things I have suppressed for a long time. Remembering my parents brings up all sorts of confusion. I resented my parents for not hiding me better and then for hiding me at all."

"I understand, a little," he said. "My parents taught me and loved me and then sent me off to strangers because they had some … vision. The Jedi Temple was not harsh, like you have described your training, but it was … not a family. Some of my fellow younglings did not understand what I was going on about and eventually I kept those feelings to myself."

"I did not get to have feelings," said Julienne. "They are not exactly helping me now."

"I would tell you that I am sorry," he said. She did not want to meet his eyes, "but that would not strictly be true. From the day I met you my life has been … more full."

"Are we not two great fools," she said moving closer to him. "Better a live fool than where I would be without you." She motioned to the captain's small cabin. "Let us finish this in bed. I am tired." They crawled into the small bunk and curled up much as they always did.

"Do you know why you made me so angry when we met again?" she asked.

"My placid, Jedi-like nature clashes with the aura you are used to feeling…" he proposed.

She snorted loudly. "Hardly. The first time, on Balmorra, when we fought, I thought I would best you easily. You had that self-effacing way about you that just begged to have it slapped off your face. But then you defeated me. Over and over. You did not act like a Jedi. You shattered my stereotypes and left me doubting myself. And then, over the course of the next eighteen months, you pushed me and beat me and showed me that the Sith way was not the only kind of way to train. I learned that there was a time for aggression and a time for defense. I learned that fitness can save your Force strength and make you a better warrior. That day, the final day, I was prepared, finally, to defeat you."

"And then I went crazy," he said quietly.

"Yes," she agreed. "I had been training to defeat you and you had never shown that part of yourself to me. When I woke up, above Kashyykk, I was so angry that you could still defeat me after so much work. And then I went back to Dromuund Kas and Darth Acina found me not only not deficient, but she was impressed. And then the challenges came. She sent me on missions and I was constantly tested. This face and body just invited challenges. Men could not seem to take me seriously. Sith after Sith came against me and I crushed them and killed them or sent them packing back to their masters and I finally came to realized the great truth about you and I." She paused for effect. "I nearly never won against you, but by sharpening my edge, I had become better than the others. After the anger, finally, came the appreciation. You had given me your best."

"I am not sure that was true," he said.

"But even what you did was better than the others," she said. "I gained quite a reputation." She chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "And I began to get caught up in my own awesomeness, so that, just now when you did not take this mission seriously—or so I thought it—it made me angry all over again. And that triggered your insane crazy attack and you rubbed my face in it."

"I am sorry," he said.

"Do not be," she said. "When I return again, I will be better than ever and once again reminded of my own weakness. Humility is not a trait that most Sith work to cultivate."


	9. Chapter 9

Ord Janon

Julienne eyed Shemric strangely when she noted him strapping on armor before they set off into the city. He seemed to think that the increased protection would be worth the restricted mobility. She shrugged. He could be right. If he had surprised her, he was equally shocked when she emerged in her most intimidating Sith attire. She shook her head and wondered when he was ever going to accept she really was a Sith. That was for another day.

She led the way further into the city with Shem trailing at a distance.

Ord Janon was a regional ordnance depot that, like many other worlds had begun as a military outpost and then continued to protect the mostly human colonists. When it had been conquered by her Empire, the owners had simply continued to provide much the same military services they had to the Republic. Mandalorians and other mercenaries were not uncommon but the Sith were very harsh on drifters and criminals so it was a fairly lawful world. Janon City was the only major port or city of any kind.

When Julienne entered the café where she was to meet her contact, Shemric moved across the street where she could not see him but could still sense him.

She did not sense any threat in the vicinity and there was no point in him sticking around. She nearly sent him a thought, but they had not reconnected since the fight on Belkadan. Instead she sent him a message on his personal comm device. He did not question her and she sensed him moving off in the crowd.

She met Acina's agent and began to discuss the terms of the next shipment and the difficulty of the time schedule that Acina wanted to try and keep. It was fairly routine stuff and she wondered if she had gotten dressed up for no reason.

Suddenly, she sensed Shemric's Force sensitivity spike and felt very real fear from him.

_Shemric? What is it? _

_He is here. Malgus. On Ord Janon, he said. He was waiting for us._

The sense of panic she felt at that moment was worse than she had ever experienced in her life and she tried to pull it back and send some confidence to Shem but he was very focused.

_Do not engage him, Shemric! Wait for me, _she said in alarm_._

_I doubt he is going to give me a choice, said Shemric. Come quickly. I will try and wear him out as best I can. _

_Shemric_? she sent him and she was trying to think of all the things she would say if this was their last moment together. It would not hurt her to say that she loved him, just once.

_Yes? he asked curiously. _

She could not form the words and practicality won out over sentiment.

_I am coming! Stall him._

Julienne stood abruptly and ripped the veil from her face. She was moving quicker than thought and sprinted through the crowded hall without touching a soul. She knocked several people down as she blasted the double doors out of her way and ran into the street. Right at that moment an aircar stopped in front of her. 'May the Force be with you' was a popular Jedi phase and she had always thought it nonsense before that moment. The human occupants cried out as she Force lifted them out of the open air cockpit and leaped into the drivers seat.

Shemric's sending was desperate and it only heightened her panic.

_I love you, Julienne. I will always love you. _

_Shemric!_

She jammed the accelerator and the horn at once and tossed people aside using Force strength she suspected she would need later. She climbed to an altitude that would get her to the field fastest and was highly illegal in this area of the spaceport. She could sense Shemric's focus and intensity so clearly that it was like a beacon and she kept the accelerator pressed down until the engine was whining in a way that could not be good. As she neared their ship, she saw the flash of lightsabers and decided she was just going to ram Malgus. She did not want to distract Shem until the last possible moment.

Finally, she sent a frantic, _Get out of the way, fool! _He leaped aside immediately and she flashed past him and the car slammed into the pavement and skidded toward Malgus. Julienne leaped out just before impact and used the Force to fall in Shem's direction. She felt his momentary panic until she lit next to him and offered him a hand up.

_Nice entrance, he said. She_ pulled him into a crushing hug and kiss.

_I am glad you liked it, she said. I am even more happy you are still alive. Now let us finish this. _

They turned to observe the burning rubble and the dark figure that emerged from the debris, minus his cloak and with smoke curling up from his armor. He attacked them savagely and they separated to leap away in opposite directions. Their consciousnesses settled together without thought and they attacked the Sith mercilessly.

Several times when they pressed him closely, he blasted them back with such strength that there was nothing they could do but ride the shock wave and come back at him. The fight went on that way until he used brute force to pull Julienne off her feet and hurled her toward Shemric. She could see he was going to try and catch her and yelled, _Attack him! _

He obeyed her and dodged so that she flew through the air and landed hard to skid along the permacrete. She wrenched her shoulder but pushed to her feet and tried to lift her arm. It was numbed but not dislocated so she staggered back to the fight where Shem and Malgus were both on the ground. Shem tried to strike him and was blasted away just as Julienne arrived in a controlled slide to land a strike near the Sith's knee. He tried to blast her with lightning but she dodged and came at him again just as he rose.

She attacked from an angle that would allow Shem to come from the other side and she held nothing back as she pulled on the Force desperately to strengthen her strikes. As Shemric closed on him from the other side, Malgus put out a hand and send another blast of lighting to toss him back yet again.

With Shemric out of play, Malgus turned his full force onto her and she could not withstand it. Step by step she retreated. He was not quick but every blow felt like a hammer to her exhausted arms. She saw Shem hurl a javelin but Malgus somehow managed to sense it and dodge allowing Julienne to score a score a strike to the thigh that brought a howl.

They centered him again and rained blow after blow on his defense until Malgus tried to blast Shem with lightning. She sensed rather than saw Shem take it in and then send it back into the Sith Lord. Malgus stiffened and turned to Shem in shock. Julienne leaped forward and thrust her silver blade into his back and then stepped back to watch the man's smoking corpse fall to the pavement. It was burned and barely recognizable. Shemric was making retching noises next to her and fell to his knees. She doubted he was as accustomed to the smell of electrified flesh.

She stood looking down at Malgus until Shemric joined her.

_I have to admit some surprise that we survived_, she said.

_True enough, he agreed. He was very strong._

_That was nicely done at the end, she said. You gave him no chance to adjust to the new threat. _He shrugged. _I think I have come to depend on my ability to absorb or deflect many Force attacks. Fighting him without it nearly got me killed several times over. _

_Nearly is not dead, _she said and let out the equivalent of a mental groan, _it is just very sore and burned. You used it at the right time to win. The way you always win. _She knew he would think it odd that she was so admiring of his ability to always win, but she send him fondness anyway. _Maybe I become stronger at accepting the truth around you, she said. Only in facing truth can you improve. _

They became aware then of the sirens. _Let us not leave him here, _suggested Shemric.

She nodded and pulled a mobile device out of a pocket to snap a quick image.

"What was that for?" he asked in surprise. She tapped at the screen for several more seconds before nodding to herself and then meeting his gaze.

"Proof of task completion," she said.

Together they dragged him aboard and into a lock before hastily starting the ship systems and lifting off. The port authority hailed them several times but did not send anyone after them as they climbed out of the planet's atmosphere. In a few short minutes they were in hyperspace and they sent Malgus' body into the void. They sat quietly without speaking for a time before Shemric broke the silence.

"Soooo, how long do you plan on keeping me around now that the job is done?" he asked.

"Until after our vacation," she said.

He started. "We are taking a vacation?"

"Yes, we are," she said.

"And where are we going?" he asked.

"Somewhere we can rent a tropical island with sandy beaches to soak up the sun," she said. "And jungles to conceal our lightsaber training."

"It sounds lovely," he replied with sarcasm.

"Zeltros, to be exact," she said.

"Really?"

"Yes, doesn't everyone aspire to afford a vacation to Zeltros once in their lifetime?"

"Are you going to be capable of taking a vacation?" he asked.

"We are going there to train," she said.

"Of course we are," he said glumly and that brought a laugh from her.

"Well, we will have plenty of time for swimming in the ocean and soaking up rays," she said, "but I must be better than ever when I return. Acina promised me ascension."

"And that will invite challenges?" he asked.

"Many."

He looked concerned for her. "It has been a goal for so long it hardly seems possible," she said. "No more than one out of twenty who begin the academy manage to achieve it." She laughed at the expression on his face and when he looked offended, she held up a hand to placate him. "Oh, relax, there is not some strange rite of darkness that will turn me _altogether evil_. A master simply declares his apprentice capable. It will change some things, but not others. Acina will become my patron, but new Lords are still tools. New Sith that break away from their master do not often survive long. I plan on surviving and growing."

They went to the infirmary after that and tended their various and sundry wounds. The worst was a fractured wrist that Julienne refused to let him heal immediately.

"You need rest as much as I," she said. "I can handle a bit of pain for a couple of days." They both took painkillers and fell asleep quite quickly.


	10. Chapter 10

Chap 10

Their passage to Zeltros was not quick and Julienne showed Shemric she was perfectly capable of dancing the night away, shopping, lying around all morning and eating far too many sweets. In truth, Julienne was able to relax far more than she ever thought possible, or safe frankly, but she decided she did not care. The fight with Malgus had been a near thing and her own conflict with Shem had been equally draining.

More amusing to her was Shemric's shock at seeing the island she had rented in the middle of the ocean. It was a replica of a mental construct she had used many times when she had been training him to develop his psionic powers on Balmorra. She must have drawn it out from one of her many visions and used it for visualization.

They stayed for four weeks and spent the time fighting and enjoying each others' company in equal amounts. When she pushed him, Shem continued to find new ways to improve their skills. She still could not defeat him very often, but in truth, it bothered her less and less. After three weeks something happened in the middle of a fight that completely shut down Shemric's mind and despite all her skill, Julienne could not reach him. It took days before he finally came awake. She had slept poorly the night before and was instantly awake the next morning when she heard a low moan from Shemric. She sat up and felt a jolt of relief when she saw his eyes open as he looked around groggily.

"Whaa … " was about the extent of his initial speech.

She reached out tentatively through their link and whispered lightly in his mind. _Shem, how are you feeling?_

His reply came as an agitated shout in her mind and she had to back out and hold back from him until he calmed down. _Shem, you have been unconscious for three and a half days. Your body is going to feel sluggish. _His response was still frantic and she waited out his mental shouting while his mouth tried to form words.

"Wha … what happened?" he said.

_You passed out when we came back to the bungalow, she said. I think your body went into a pseudo-coma to compensate and recover. _

_Well, I hope you are happy, he said, disgruntled. _His response seemed calmer now. _I seemed to remember you choking me and me doing something … extreme, but I really can't remember it now._

_You seem to always have an answer to everything I do, she said. I have never used our mental link to attack your mind and yet, you managed to break it and defend yourself. _

Shemric seemed to be coming to a better grasp of his surroundings and he looked down at his arm. _So now your skills extended to IV lines and … _he grunted … _catheters? _

_That was not me, she said. I sent for a med droid when you did not wake up. _

He nodded and examined his arm. He looked pretty familiar with a field IV and expertly removed and bandaged it with supplies from the IV cart. He groaned when he sat up, but managed it. His stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly.

"I could use some real food," he said.

"How is your head?" she asked tentatively.

"Everything seems to be working; are you asking if I have a headache?" he asked. "It does not hurt when you speak in my head if that was what you were worrying about."

_Good, because I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed you, she said. _She leaned over and hugged him fiercely and he patted her awkwardly on the back.

_I think someone kidnapped my favorite Sith and replaced her with a caring, feeling stranger, he joked. _

_Shut up, she said! _ She let him go and spun off the bed to mask the tears at the corner of her eyes and general uncomfortable wetness. She was not an emotional person!

She masked her discomfort while preparing him something from the food supplies and had herself under control by the time she brought it to him in the bed. To his credit, he made no more foolish remarks about her tears, or emotional outburst.

By the end of the day, Shemric was up and walking and they took a stroll around the island at sunset. Julienne said almost nothing as they walked hand-in-hand around the around the three kilometer beach. As a result, Shemric did most of the talking and told her about his visit to his home and his siblings and the conversations with his mother.

"She was remarkably calm about her son taking a Sith lover," said Shem.

_I am sure your mother sees more than she lets on, said Julienne. Else why did she send you to Coruscant? You told me once that she thought you would be responsible for saving billions of lives. I think the end result of you and me is going to be the fulfillment of that vision._

Shem did not need to say anything out loud for Julienne to sense his agreement with her statement. They walked on in silence after that.

* * *

It took nearly a week before Shemric felt back to normal again and by then he said he had one last idea they might try. Julienne asked him to explain.

"Well, it occurs to me that we fight in a certain style that balances our need to win with our desire to survive," he said. They were sitting on their sunning chairs, enjoying the ocean breeze and Julienne looked out from under her green hat to watch Shem subtly. His facial hair had grown and he had not shaved it all off; his cheeks, neck and upper lip were smooth again but he now had a dark, bristly goatee that Julienne found quite attractive. "What if there comes a moment when you simply have to win without regard to the cost?" Julienne pondered the question and wished that speaking in Shem's head was not causing him headaches.

"So are we going to set a timer, or something, and you have to win before it goes off or … what," she asked?

"That is the general idea," he said. "To shift your thinking such that you go on the attack with no thought for survival."

The idea was so foreign to how Shem thought and fought that she wondered where it had originated. It also suggested something of his thought process for the future; some day they would have to win at any cost, even that of their lives. She knew he was right and let him know.

They ended up rigging a timer to one of the sound speakers in the bungalow and then they took turns on attack and defense. After an hour they were both exhausted and burned or bruised, but Julienne once again saw the wisdom in following Shem's advice. Julienne commented that Shem did not even need her to make him angry to fuel his all-out assaults.

He sniffed quietly and looked away.

"I feel something coming and know we are going to part again soon," he said quietly. "That makes me angry enough I do not need any exterior stimulus."

Julienne could feel his pain and knew it would get worse, for both of them.

After a particularly brutal session several days later, she decided they were finished.

"Does that mean we are going to leave?" Shem asked.

"I don't think so …" said Julienne, and she tried to see some clue in the future to guide them. "No, let it come to us here, on our home ground." It was early afternoon and they walked back to the bungalow to nap and make love and not talk about future conflicts. Julienne felt Shem's despair growing and knew he would need something to sustain him when she was gone. She needed to give him something and so it was with much trepidation that she asked him a question.

_So what do you imagine you would do, were you to leave the Jedi, she asked?_

They were lying together, tightly entangled and it was not hard to feel his abrupt flinch. She sensed his mind in turmoil and then, after a time, calm.

_What I do is really irrelevant, he replied. The connections I have made with my family are what really matters. _Julienne tried to think about what he was saying. She had been focused on attaining her title and the honor and power that went with it for so long that it baffled her that Shem did not think such a goal was important. _If you asked my mother what she is, she would tell you that she is a wife, a mother and a healer. My father would simply tell you he is a husband and father. Those are the titles that define him. Oh, he can do many things, but those are all ancillary to what he considers most important. _

_And would you give up being a Jedi Master to become a husband and father, she asked?_

Shem was curled up with her at his back and he disengaged himself to turn and look her in the eyes.

_I suspect, had I wished it, that I would be a member of the council by now, minus my association with you, he said. And yet, I am here, where I wish to be, not there. _

For a moment, Julienne felt a swelling sensation and could not breathe. She had never really thought that he had any aspirations of that nature. She had imagined that he would wait for her, at her convenience, until she was ready for him. It highlighted her selfishness and made her realize what he had sacrificed for the short periods of time they had together. She realized that she owed him so much and had given him back so little.

_Careful, now, said Shemric. I am going to start thinking you have feelings and emotions, he teased. _

Julienne pulled him into her and held on tightly as she fought back tears. Nothing in her visions had changed and they had to separate soon, but she had never regretted it more. _ I have feelings, but you are the only person in the galaxy that gets to see them … on occasion. _

_That is enough for me, he said. _And then after a moment, _Uh, can you relax just a bit? I think your nails are leaving furrows in my back._

She laughed. That was another thing she only did around Shemric. _We are going to get through this, Shemric. Somehow._

_Of course we are, he said. I promised my momma we would provide her with a half-dozen grandbabies. We agreed that half could become Jedi and half Sith Lords. _

_You did not!_

Shemric chuckled. _No, I didn't, but she will have some expectations. _

Julienne giggled in a way that only Shemric had ever heard. She did not let him go, though. She was going to hold onto him for as long as she could.

* * *

Shemric and Julienne came awake at exactly the same moment and leaped out of bed.

_Someone is coming. _After ten weeks of being together and four weeks of constant contact, they had meshed so well that Julienne was not sure which of them formed that thought.

_I was a fool, said Julienne. We stayed too long in one place and now we have no way off the island. _

The lights started to come on when the bungalow's sensors noted movement beyond the confines of the bed.

_How long do you think we have, _she asked?

As Shemric stood still and tried to sense the direction and distance of the threat, Julienne started to dress immediately and was nearly ready by the time he open his eyes. _I would guess we have thirty minutes, perhaps a bit more. The reason we sensed them so far away is likely not good news for us; they mean us harm and are focused on it. _

_How many, she asked?_

_Two or three craft of some kind. Maybe thirty men. Some of those may be pilots._

Julienne shook her head. _They still do not take us very seriously, do they? _She was not sure if that was arrogance speaking or confidence.

_What do you mean, he asked?_

_Thirty men? That is what they send to take us, she said derisively?_

_Uh, what if they are Sith Lords who are not very fond of you, he shot back?_

_They won't be, she said, _and then continued to strap on her armor. _There probably won't even be one. I'll bet they are soldiers and marauders. We could eat them for breakfast without even having to belch. _

Julienne knew she should be concerned but she felt like an athlete that had been training for years and not yet been allowed to compete. She wanted to be tried and tested. When Shem said something of the sort, she had a ready reply.

_And why should I not? You have done your work well here. This is just a last test. It could even be my own master who sent them. It is just as well we hid our track so well. We had a month to hone our skills. Let them come! _She was now fully armored but she had yet to put her hair under the hood and it blew out behind her like a black cape in the wind through the bungalows open windows.

She smiled at Shemric and she saw herself through his eyes and connected it to his emotions. His thoughts simply expressed gratitude that she was his.

_I am glad you finally understand that, she said. Now _fool_, enough sentiment. Get in your armor and meet me at the top of the island. _She was out the door in a swirl of blowing hair and she strode up the hill without the use of the Force. She was fit and dangerous and her Sith enemies were going to learn to fear her.

* * *

Julienne sat calmly on a rocky outcrop, and sensed Shemric's progress to meet her. She was sweating heavily inside her armor and its internal coolers were not compensating. She thought about what she had told Shem about his training of her and found that she knew it to be true. She had never been a more dangerous warrior than today on this island. He had given her his best and she had given her best back. There was no sense in worrying if she was ready to ascend; her preparation could not be better. If she worried, it was that her attachment to Shemric was very strong now and it would be hard to hide. She would need time away from him to meditate and prepare herself if she did not wish all her secrets to be revealed.

Shemric walked up at that moment, breathing easily. She could sense his unease, but it was not for himself. He never felt nervous or worried or scared unless it concerned his little Juju. That had very much irritated her in the beginning, but then she had begun to see it as endearing and then finally, a gift. She had known she was true and wholly caught when she realized she felt the same for him. Well, she was doing her part to see that they had a future and they had to survive today to do that. She had seen nothing of this attack and knew it was because she had lingered overlong on the island and not sought out her visions regularly. She hoped the price for that error would not be their deaths this day.

_They have split now and are coming from three directions, he pointed out. _

She had sensed that as well, and said nothing.

_What do you think we should do, she asked? _She sensed his surprise. Normally she told him what to do. Keeping him off balance was difficult and sometimes required her to do things she knew he did not like.

_We should separate, but not too far, and make them come to us down in the trees, he began. We use surprise to winnow their numbers a bit and then come back together to finish them off. _

_Do you think you could mask yourself well enough to take one of the skimmers, she asked? _His plan was not so different than she had envisioned herself, but she had begun to think they might need one of the skimmers to escape. She doubted the Zeltrons would get mixed up in this problem and that meant they needed a way out that was unpredictable to her enemies.

She could not see his face in the darkness, but she knew he was mulling over the idea. He would not like leaving her alone to fight, but he saw the wisdom in taking one of the transports. He was about to suggest she steal one and get off the island herself, but she cut him off.

_You know I am not going to do that, she said. Even you cannot survive against twenty or thirty men. Don't waste my time being gallant. _Now she could sense his amusement. He _had_ been serious, no matter what he would claim, but he had also known it was a pointless suggestion.

_I will reveal myself to them, slowly, so that they come hunting for me, she said. Take out the pilots and let me know. I will try to disappear again until you can come on them from behind. _

_Just make sure you wait for me, love, he said. No noble sacrifice on your part either. _

_I am a Sith; I am not noble, she said. _

_No, today you are Julienne Qa-Norm, my wife, and we will get through this together, he said. _

He was such a sentimental sap sometimes that she wanted to punch him, but then he sent her such a sending of love and confidence that she had to squeeze her eyes shut on the tears. Her whole body flashed warm and she gasped. In a moment she stood and crossed the gap to him to crush him in a hug to kiss him soundly. Then she pushed him away.

_Go get us a skimmer, fool, she said._

_Love you, too, Juju, _he replied as he ran off in the dark.

_What an idiot_, she mused after he had left.

_I heard that, you unfeeling jerk, _he shot back_._

Now it was her turn to shake her head. Oh, Shemric… She had to shake herself out of this odd feeling of protectiveness. Get hold of yourself woman. Enemies are knocking at the door. She sat and meditated for a time and that deeper connection to the Force helped her sense the progress of their enemies as they approached the island at different angles. She knew that Shem had already veered off in the direction of the closest likely landing spot so it was time for her to find a place to receive the others.

As she walked in the dark, she considered this man to whom she had attached herself. He really would have lured these attackers in and sacrificed himself so that she could escape. She had never really considered that she might do the same. First of all, she knew she needed him alive and well to survive today and accomplish something in the future. Secondly, she doubted very much that he would deal very well with her death. Oh, he might go on, but he would be adrift in a galaxy where he was no longer a pure Jedi follower but did not have a backup plan if he left the Order. Finally, unlike him, she would _not_ go on without him. In all of her visions, that was an unchangeable outcome. His death would mean a pointless spiral into depression and self-destruction. She knew it and hated him for it sometimes; that he had made her into a dependent creature. But hating him changed nothing for her, so she pretended and deceived him and hoped that through him she might survive and learn to live again. That hope buoyed her against the things she had to do.

She stopped in deepest shadows of the palm forest and opened herself further to the Living Force. They would sense her strength and come for her now. She reached out and tried to get a feel for them in return. To her surprise, they were all Force-users. Some were not particularly strong, but one easily outmatched either Shemric or herself. Something odd was going on here and she felt like a playing piece on a board. She now rated their chances of survival very low and she nearly called out to Shemric to take the shuttle and go. Knowing he would ignore her made it a futile gesture. Well, let them come, then, she thought. She was not sure what she and Shemric had become in their joining, but it was nothing like any Sith or Jedi had ever been. Perhaps they would triumph again.

Deep in meditation, there was no worry or fear or much any emotion, but she did note in the back of her mind that Shemric should have reported back by now. Her attackers were closing in and she was running out of time. She reduced her Force-signature further and moved some fifty meters away. The problem with hiding in the Force was that it made you blind as well, so she had to rely on sound to know when they had closed on her position. She stood motionless until she heard three or four warriors walking towards her only a few meters away. There would be no more hiding.

_Shemric, come now, if you can! she sent _and leaped into the midst of what she knew was four fighters. They cried out in surprise as their awareness of her in the Force burst full strength and she dispatch two of them quickly with her saber. The closer of the survivors rushed her and she threw him against a tree and then spun to attack the other violently. His movements seemed slow and ponderous compared to weeks of fighting Shem and he went down after only a handful of attacks.

The impact with the tree had not killed the other Sith and he tried to blast her with lightning, but she took it on her blade and rushed him. She could see his wide eyes in the eerie light of their sabers and felt a moment of pity as she took off his arm and then slashed him fatally across the chest. He was young and scared and unprepared for this demon that he had thought would be easy prey. She did not hesitate, though and soon it was silent in her immediate vicinity. She felt most of the others rushing her position now. She would wait for them, but not here.

Julienne disappeared in the Force again and walked steadily away from where she had first encountered the other Sith. Again, the wisdom of their training paid off as she relied on her physical senses to make a path through the forest. As she drew tighter and tighter into herself, she sensed the others hesitate and slow their advance. They had to be aware of each other, because they spread out in two arcs on both sides of her. It was very hard to tell locations when she was hiding in the Force, so she found the darkest shadow in the area and crouched, weapon in hand.

Based off the racket they were making, she thought there were more fighters down slope than up, perhaps twice as many. For that reason, she turned and moved carefully upslope until she heard the others approaching. She held so still that they actually began to pass her before she lashed out to take one completely by surprise. The second went down quickly as well and the others rushed her. They did a fairly good job of centering her and she could do nothing but defend. Her Sorensu had become nearly impeccable, but she knew the larger group would reach them soon and then she would be done. In the midst of the fight she nearly called out to Shem, but he was suddenly there, a blue blade emerging from the Sith's chest she had been fighting and a moment later a blue streak whizzed by her ear and another man cried out. The third tried to run when confronted by two enemies but Julienne added to his momentum and shoved him hard into a large tree. He hit with a sickening thud and did not move.

_Let them come to you! _sent Shem quickly and then he disappeared in the Force and went crashing off into the bush again. A few moments later all sound in his direction stopped.

The other marauders came on cautiously, sabers off, and with full Force sensitivity, she counted that there were twelve. The strongest among them led and eventually stopped within speaking distance.

"It seems you have managed to become dangerous, Julienne Qa," came the voice and Julienne knew the source. They had sent a full Sith Lord to make sure she did not leave the island. Darth Anguish was not a council member, but she had seen him meet with her master on several occasions. That he was here made her suspicious that her own master was trying to eliminate an enemy using her surrogate once again. Well, it hardly mattered why they needed to kill him. It was survival now.

"So where is your pet _Jedi_?" asked the Sith Lord. "I sensed him earlier, but not now. Was he killed then?"

"Yes, and you will pay for it," she said. Perhaps the bluff would work. She did not have to feign anger. Her master was playing the game again with Julienne as the piece.

"I am afraid you have forgotten your numbers, apprentice," said Anguish. "Your body will be feeding the worms soon."

"That is what Malgus said to us before he died," said Julienne. Perhaps that thought would make him hesitate. It didn't.

"You didn't kill Malgus," said Anguish. "He might have been an old battle axe, but he was an axe. He would have snuffed you in a moment."

Julienne smiled but it was not for anyone but herself. This man was overconfident. Shemric was out there and they would grind these fools to powder between them. She leaped violently and brought her red saber down in a bold overhand stroke. She had grown used to the kinetic energy it had thanks to Shemric's clever design and she could see the shock on the other Sith's face as his very nonchalant block was beaten back into his face and there was a smell of burning. He backed up and cried out but she was on him quickly. His warriors rushed to his aid and he withdrew among them to escape her attack.

Julienne used no form she had ever been taught at the Sith Academy but pushed all her focus into Shemric's anger-driven method of all-out attack. Sith warriors died on her blade and she carved on into their midst. Shock and surprise kept her moving forward for a few moments until numbers pushed her back and she retreated into Sorensu and serenity. Shem would come.

On cue, Shemric burst into their midst, wielding his Force-pike and hurling his home-made Force-javelins. The Marauders went down like mowed stalks in a field until a tremendous Force-enhanced blast knocked everyone off their feet. Of the rest, only Julienne and Shemric regained their feet on one side and Darth Anguish and two remaining Marauders on the other.

The Marauders each attacked one of their remaining opponents while Anguish threw objects and lightning when he had openings. Julienne's opponent was quite skilled but she knew she would have dispatched him in moments had she not been worrying about the attacks from Anguish. As it was, they fought to a standoff until Anguish cried out and fell backwards to the ground for no reason that Julienne could see.

Whatever the reason, she used the opening to attack her opponent viciously and drive him back. At the last, the man stumbled on some unseen obstacle and Julienne finished him.

_Bad luck for you, fellow_, she thought as she turned to see Shemric circling Anguish, who was back on his feet. He seemed quite calm.

_I like our chances of surviving much better now, said Shemric. _

_Indeed, she agreed. _He offered his consciousness to her and they meshed and interwove until she could sense his movements like they were her own.

_Do you want to question him? asked Shem._

"I think you have made your point, Julienne Qa," said the Sith Lord. "Now for your own good you should cease."

"There is no good ending in this for you, Darth Anguish," said Julienne. "Either we kill you, we incapacitate you, or you surrender."

"You think those are my only options?" he said laughing, but Julienne could tell it was forced. He was wounded somehow and trying to get them to back down.

"We will allow you to leave, but you will disappear into the Empire and not return to Dromund Kaas," she said.

"And why would I do that?" he said and then unleashed a tremendous blast of lightning in multiple directions.

Julienne leaped violently upward and only the fringes of the electricity caught her foot, but it turned her leap into a wild freefall such that she could not control her descent. Of a wonder, she crashed into a large bush that cushioned her impact somewhat, but darkness took her a moment later.

* * *

Waking on the island had most often been a pleasant, lazy experience but consciousness this time brought her only feelings of pain and exhaustion and soreness. She guessed she was in the pirated skimmer, but she was strapped down so that she would not move. She reached out to Shemric, but sharp pain greeted her attempt and she cried out in surprise. Shemric appeared a moment later and began unfastening the straps.

"I am guessing my head is broken," she said.

"Something like that," he said.

"And that is not something you can heal?" she asked.

"I would rather not make a mistake in that area," he said.

"What if I asked you to try?" she said and then groaned again as she involuntarily tried to reach out and speak to his mind.

"I would say no unless it was an emergency," he replied. "We have not yet arrived at an emergency."

Julienne nodded and lay back. She felt terrible.

"I took care of some of your lesser stuff, like the burns and scrapes and the sprained wrist, but I think you have a broken ribs and cranial damage," he said.

"What did I miss?" she asked.

"Well, we won and escaped, obviously," he said. "Not how I would have liked our last day on the island to go. I had rather more intimate plans than fighting for our lives."

"Sorry; we should not have waited so long," she said.

"I know, but … well, it was another week with you," he said. "I can't say I regret it. As long as your brain heals."

"What about Anguish?" she asked.

"The Sith Lord?" he asked and she nodded. "I fried him with his own lightning, much like I did Malgus. The other skimmer pilots beat a hasty retreat when I warned them to leave and we have been traveling for about four hours now. I am glad to see that you woke on your own. I was a little worried."

She reached over and took his hand in a very un-Julienne-like gesture. "It is time for us to part again."

He frowned and looked away. When he met her eyes again they were full of moisture. "I know. I do not ever like it, but you are right."

"I am going to become a Sith Lord," she said.

"You have worked toward that goal for a long time; I am sure you deserve it," he said.

She blinked. That was not at all the response she expected. "Last time we had to be mad at each other to force ourselves apart. I do not want to do that again."

"Nor I," he said. He sniffled a bit and then smiled at her. It was sort of lopsided like he did not really mean it. "You will find me again when you need me."

"Do you wonder why you never come looking for me?" she asked quietly.

"No," he said quickly. "I am your tool, not me yours," he said. He only sounded a little bitter when he said it.

Maybe the pain in her head was making her crazy, but she started crying at the expression on his face. "I am sorry it has to be that way, Shemric."

He shook his head and looked away. Seeing her crying must have unnerved him. He probably thought it was like seeing rain come from a rock. "I will not doubt you again, Julienne. If you say that you are working for our future then I will wait and try to be patient. We seem to keep surviving events where we most likely should have died. We have something to do. I just wish I knew what it was."

It took two days before they were able to find a doctor to look at Julienne's head. He confirmed she had a fractured skull and said that the pressure on her brain was causing the headaches. He was not a Zeltron. His blue skin and features were not any that Julienne recognized, but he seemed competent. He operated on Julienne within the hour and she went under to a concerned look on Shemric's face. Shemric pronounced the operation a success when she woke hours later and she immediately reached out to him. The pain was gone and she spoke to his mind.

_And here we are yet again, she said. You getting me into trouble and you saving me. _He smirked at her, but said nothing. _And strangely enough, it does not hurt to breathe. _

_I have been doing a little here and there, he admitted. I think, when I return to the temple, that I am going to give healing some serious study. I have been dabbling at it for too long._

_And how will that go, your return to the temple, she asked?_

_Well, they sort of expect this behavior from me, he said. Nobody really wants me around. That was why they sent me to Coruscant. And will you head back to your capital?_

_Darth Acina will be expecting me, she said. _

_I packed all your spooky black hoods and cloaks so you will be properly attired when you arrive, he said. _

She smiled at him. He looked so forlorn and lost already. _Are you going to be all right? _

_No, he said. But we both will survive, until the next time. _

_Yes, she agreed. Until the next time._

* * *

They parted at an out of the way spaceport, him in regular clothes and her in black Sith robes. They had traveled there directly from the hospital where she had been recovering. She had feared that he might want to spend a last night alone together and had been surprised when he had not suggested it. Maybe he knew that would only make the parting that much more difficult. They walked side by side, not touching, down the concourse to their respective shuttles. It was impossible not to sense the feeling of grief and loss seeping through so she closed herself off to him and walked in silence. He knew what she was doing and did not comment.

Her shuttle left first and it reminded her a bit of the first time they had parted on Bonadan. Only, this time there would be no playful kisses. He did not even make a move to touch her. Finally, he blew out a breath and met her eyes.

_Thanks for coming for me, he said. We beat the odds again. _He seemed to be clenching his jaw so hard that she doubted he could have spoken aloud. Every so often his face spasmed in a frown and then appeared calm. _Be well, Julienne Qa. I will miss you. _He nodded then and swept past her all in a rush.

She nearly reached out a hand to him. She nearly called to him several times. But she did not. Instead, she pulled all her feelings for him deep inside and put them in a box. It was the only thing she could do to protect him. Their connection dwindled down to a small stream and she could sense his utter heartache take hold as it wound down to a trickle and then winked out. She gasped at the finality of it. She could not breathe. She had to be alone.

Julienne stormed toward her shuttle and demanded a private cabin for a few minutes. The terrified attendant stumbled, trying to accommodate her as quickly as possible. When the door closed behind her, Julienne folded up and lay on the small cushioned bench and began to sob. It was not something she had done since the day she had been ripped from her home and everything she knew. She had not thought she would ever feel that way again, but her connection to Shemric was severed and her emotions felt like she had lost a limb. Oh, she could still sense his presence out there somewhere, but she could feel none of the affection, the humor, the unbending loyalty or the unrestrained love he gave to her. She was empty inside and all the sobbing in the world could not change that.

When Julienne Qa, Sith apprentice, emerged from the small cabin over an hour later, she was again herself; independent, willful, quick-thinking and dangerous. All vestiges of Shemric Norm were scoured from her heart. She would do what she must to survive or she would never see him again.


	11. Chapter 11

3646-Dromund Kaas—Sith governing planet

Julienne knew that she was being followed and she knew that they were Sith of at least moderate strength, but she did not worry. Sometime after taking on the mantle of Darth Monikas something had changed. She simply had no time or energy to be afraid of anything. That the people following her wished her ill was not a question; that was easy to pick out of the Force. Why though would require a conversation and she was not sure if she wanted that. She pulled her Force awareness in close and rushed down a side alley, keeping to the shadows and looking for a place where she could put her back to something. She found it in the form of a dead-end alley that left enough space to fight but not enough for someone to get behind her. When she sought out her potential assailants in the Force, she could sense their surprise at her movements and it took them a few minutes before they finally caught up to her.

There were three of them and it turned out she recognized all of them from her time in the Sith Academy. Each of them was a new Sith Lord within the last two years and none of them had ever impressed her when she had known them.

"Lord Shizm," she began. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit at a dubious hour and location?" Shizm had always been the ringleader of the three and his was the only Sith name she knew. The others were Jihmor and Fesik; she had not bothered to remember their Sith names.

"Julienne," spat Shizm. "I guess they let anyone ascend these days."

"You would know, I suppose, since the three of you were barely competent enough to tie your shoes, much less be trusted with anything serious," she gave back. They would anger easily, she knew. These three had always been offended by the idea of a female being their equal, or forbid the thought, better.

Shizm stepped forward with his hand on his saber. "There is no Acina to protect you now, Julienne. I have …"

"Oh, just get to the point," she interrupted. The man was still the posturing buffoon she remembered. What had the Empire come to that he had become a Sith Lord?

Shizm's face tightened and he let out a howl as he attacked.

Julienne did not even deign to move until the last moment and then she blasted him with lightning. He cried out and fell back, his dark cloak smoking and surprise on his face. His two compatriots moved forward but he clamored to his feet and waved them back.

Shizm approached more slowly and cautiously this time. "Well, you got in your lucky strike and now there won't be any more surprises for you. My master has decided that Acina does not need any more minions to carry out her policy so that means the end of the line for you."

Julienne snorted and shook her head. She tried not to think of Shemric at moments like this and shut him out of her mind. She met Shizm's blade easily and backed up for three or four paces before she had the sense of his style and then stopped and counterattacked with a quick flurry of strikes that drove Shizm back to their starting point. After what she had gone through, his skill was comical and she took his blade hand and pierced his chest in two quick movements before stepping back to regard the other two. Shizm took a moment to topple over while the others stood in shock.

Monikas looked at them and wondered if fear would overcome their surprise and anger. She had just dispatched their leader with apparent ease but neither of these two was clever enough to see it. Leaving them alive would serve no purpose either because neither would tell the truth when it came time to give an accounting. She sighed inwardly as they rushed her simultaneously. These two were an embarrassment to the Empire.

* * *

Upon returning to report to Acina, she mentioned the encounter in a brief sentence and then moved on to continue with the reason she had been out in the city. Acina held up a hand.

"You eliminated all three of them?" she asked. "At the same time?"

"I did not," she said. "Shizm came at me first and when he was down, the other two attacked."

Acina looked at her for a few moments. Monikas used her most subtle Force probings to try and sense some of her former master's thoughts. She had tried it completely by accident the first time and then been surprised both by what she learned and by the fact that she had not been discovered. Acina was thinking about the ease by which Monikas had just dispatched three Sith Lords and wondering if she was not becoming too dangerous.

Julienne pulled back from her questing and waited.

"You know they will only be the first, Lord Monikas," said Acina finally. "There is always a period of testing. I was not familiar with the individuals you mention, but your attitude does not make me think they were very skilled."

"I knew them from the academy," she explained. "None of them were particularly competent. I was surprised they managed to ascend at all."

Acina's smile held no humor. "Others don't have the same standard as I do," she said. "Plus, any apprentice of mine that ascended was going to be in immediate danger. There are those on the council and those that aspire to it that have begun to regard me as a threat. My … supporters will also be looked at as a threat. If I had elevated you earlier then you would have been unprepared for what was coming."

"I shall be attentive Lord Acina," said Julienne. She kept her thoughts to herself.

"See that you are, Lord Monikas," she said. "As I rise, so shall those around me." The older woman sat in thought for some time.

"This was a blatant testing from Lord Ravage, but since I have not heard of any of these three, I cannot imagine that they were his best," said Acina. "Do you know of Lord Niacyn?"

"Only by reputation," said Monikas. "He is rumored to be Ravage's enforcer. Not a particularly subtle Sith, but definitely a large hammer."

"Then find him and eliminate him," said Acina. "That will send a clear message back."

Monikas nodded and wondered if this was another test? Of course it was, but like each time this had happened, there was another motive. She was letting Ravage know she would not be intimidated while clearly setting Monikas up at the very top of the pecking order. Monikas wondered how much she had changed when the thought of taking out one of the Dark Council's mostly deadly enforcers did not even elicited a shiver of concern. Had she lost any care for her own life? Was this the beginnings of a deadly hubris that would end in her death or just newfound confidence in her skill after Zeltros?

As Monikas withdrew, she mulled these thoughts over and over in her mind. Who was she? She only rarely thought of herself as Julienne anymore and it took only the smallest effort to suppress her memories of Shemric. She stopped short of the front gate of Acina's compound and looked back up into the fortress. Could she be Julienne anymore and do what was necessary? One thing had become clear to her the longer she stayed near to the capital. The Emperor was destroying this world. When it was all used up, then what? Would he move on to another? Monikas had spent enough time in the Republic to still believe in the Empire, but after her ascension and meeting with the Emperor, she was no longer sure that he cared about the Empire at all. It was just a tool and what did you do with a tool that was no longer of use? You tossed it away.

The enormity of her thoughts paralyzed her for a moment. Was she committing treason just by thinking that the Emperor was not good for the Empire? Of course she was. She did not even begin to suspect how she might go about finding others sympathetic to the cause of removing him. That was going to be a dangerous path, but if the Emperor had perceived Shemric as a threat, it might not matter if she was loyal or not. She was a new Sith Lord in an Empire with hundreds of them. She was definitely an expendable tool.

And Monikas had worked too hard to let anyone consider her expendable. As she strode out of Acina's fortress she knew that she had left behind any safe haven forever. This path led to the Emperor's destruction or hers and she was only one person. Still, she intended to try, and removing Lord Niacyn would just be the first step. She did not have time for these petty shoving matches between competing Sith Lords. Even as she looked down the future roads, she staggered and fell as the enormity of her task became apparent. She closed her eyes and rode the future timeways and tried to hold onto something to guide her.

When Darth Monikas came to herself, she was lying on a sidewalk in the dark, staring at a sickening sky. She knew what had to be done now and for the first time since Zeltros, she knew fear.

* * *

The tall form of Lord Nocturne was melodramatically lost in shadows as Monikas approached. "Well met Lord Nocture," she opened. He stepped out of the shadow of the sickly tree that had blocked the light and came forward. He was tall and muscular and his presence in the Force was substantial but he hid no smell of decay. This meeting was the first of many terrible chances she would take, but her visions showed him as a future ally and she needed those.

"Lord Monikas, I must admit that I understand why others discount you," he began. "Your appearance and presence in the Force is not particularly daunting. And yet, you are alive while the others who tried to kill you are not."

Monikas might have smiled in satisfaction, but she could not find pleasure in much of anything these days. Just need.

"Who do you serve, Lord Nocturne?" she asked. It was a simple question, but a bit of a test. If the man was not intelligent enough to answer it correctly, to Monikas' mind, then she would keep looking. If he could, then she would take her chance. To his credit, Nocturne did not look confused, only thoughtful.

"Only the Empire," said Nocturne after a few moments.

That was the answer she wanted and hoped to receive. Nocturne has distanced himself from his former master and showed more political acumen than he had been credited with in the past. Most thought of him as simply an enforcer, but his recent activity showed a certain amount of free thinking and independence. It was time to take the chance.

"What would you say if I suggested that perhaps the Emperor's continued rule is not the best thing for the Empire?" she asked.

Nocturne controlled his features well, but Monikas read his obvious surprise at the question. Followed by a sense of furious thought and new, swirling ideas. Finally, a calmness prevailed and he spoke. "I don't believe the Emperor spends a great deal of time thinking about what is good for the Empire these days. The council has taken over most of the governing and the Emperor has withdrawn to follow … other pursuits."

Monikas hoped he would continue but he did not. The man had confirmed some things that she had gleaned as well. Her sources had also passed on something concerning a further ascendency. What did a nearly all-powerful being need for more power? And what would be the fuel to push him to greater heights? Those were both questions that she could not answer, but the answer might mean the end of everything, if her visions were to be believed.

"Can one be loyal to the Empire and not to the Emperor?" she asked. That was clearly a treasonous suggestion and now there was no turning back. This man would have to join or she would have to kill him.

Nocturne's answer was surprisingly quick. "Of course. The Empire is the good of all. The Emperor may be the head, but he is not the body or the arms or the legs that move us and accomplished great works. Those are for us to do."

"And do you know the source of the Emperor's power?" she asked. Monikas did now, but it had been difficult to find and visit the Emperor's home planet and she still repressed a shiver at the memory of that dead world where life and the Force had been equally raped.

This question did surprise Nocturne. "There are … rumors…" he began.

"An entire planet and all of its life was consumed using a particularly nasty dark ritual," said Monikas. "He consumed and held life and the Force in equal measure."

Nocturne looked taken aback but covered it quickly. "You know this?"

"I visited the planet," she just looked at her then, waiting. She had called for this meeting and she must propose the course of action. "I search for allies in an action to remove and destroy the Emperor."

He nodded. That had been the expected continuation of their line of thinking. "How does one destroy a being that has the power of a planet?" he asked.

"With another equally unique and gifted being," she said. "That is my problem, for now. I need allies to help me gain access to the citadel and his actual person."

"And those allies are going to have to simply trust that you have a way to remove him?" he said skeptically. "Getting inside the citadel with a force of fighters is very likely difficult but not impossible. Removing a being who has headed the empire for generations upon generations seems like rather long odds."

"I doubt a professional gambler would take the odds that are against us succeeding Lord Nocturne," she said. "I also believe that life as we know it in this galaxy will end if the Emperor is left unchecked."

That statement sent Nocturne's mind into a storm of thought. He finally spoke quietly.

"There are rumors that you have visions … " he said.

It was not a question, but she had suspected all along that her visions would be the key in persuading others to the cause. And her reputation. Monikas did wonder where such rumors originated, but it could be as simple as someone back at the academy passing on a story. Even the ancient-seeming Sith sorcerers who had studied her for a time may have let something slip.

So she nodded, slightly, in confirmation.

Nocturne studied her and then seem to come to some decision.

"I have … people, who might support such an action," he said. "Some are right-thinking individuals who believe in the Empire. Some are ambitious and look to remove the old order. I will approach them looking for allies in this cause, but I suspect most will balk at the problem of the Emperor. Does your solution stand a chance?" he asked and smiled. It was not exactly humor, she thought, but more the smile the prisoner gave on the way to execution when he knew his time was up. It was a grim thought, but Monikas' visions certainly did not leave any room for a future if they did not succeed.

"Hope is not exactly a trait the Sith attempt to cultivate, but that is the best I can offer," she said. "I hope it will work. The alternatives that I have seen don't leave much choice for me. One way or another I and some with me with come in conflict with the Emperor. I cannot see beyond the beginning of that conflict."

"One could interpret that as failure," said Nocturne.

"Or nothing," she said.

Nocturne gave her a confused look.

"If the Emperor attempts something to gain greater power than he has now, the result for all of us could be nothingness," she said. "Lack of existence."

Monikas sensed great horror in the man's thoughts and shared it. The Emperor was wrongness. The planet he had consumed was wrongness.

"He needs to be destroyed," she said baldly.

Nocturne nodded, looking troubled.

"These are treasonous thoughts, Lord Monikas," he said. "Did you mean to kill me if you did not like my answers?"

"Do you think I could?" she asked in return, meeting his eyes.

They stared at each other for long moments. Monikas knew that neither of them would draw a saber, nor did they wish to test each other. This was as much a signing of a treaty of non-aggression as two Sith could manage.

Nocturne refused to answer her question as she had refused his, but she felt a strengthening of his will and a greater respect for her as well. He suddenly thrust out a hand in a very un-Sith-like gesture. Sith who could easily send lightning up another's arm on contact did not shake hands. She reached to meet his hand knowing that any physical contact would only heighten her awareness of his thoughts.

Their gloved hands met and clenched and Nocturne nodded to her before releasing her hand to spin away and walk briskly into the shadows.

She had one ally now. That was the beginning.

A voice in her mind spoke then. _One ally? What have I been this entire time, then?_

Monikas could not suppress the shiver she felt at Shemric's voice. It was only an impression, but she knew it for real.

As she walked away in the opposite direction, Darth Lord Monikas could only shake her head. Shemric butted into her thoughts no matter the effort she took to suppress him, but that was a problem for later.

* * *

For Monikas, it seemed, the direct-action assignments did not stop and she next found herself stalking a counselor to yet another of Acina's enemies. He was accused of selling Sith technology to a major crime syndicate and Acina had been given the job of silencing him. That meant Monikas doing the dirty work, of course. Finding the easiest way into his compound had taken several days of discreet surveillance and even one trip inside as a laundry worker. That had been quite tense for a bit as she held her Force-sense tightly to her and went about the mundane task of washing clothes. At no point did the guards suspect and she left with all the intel she needed to come back later.

Slipping into the estate and passing the guards proved easier than she expected, but then, how could a mundane guard detect her when she was physically hard to see and could suppress the sound of her movements? An electronic card she had pocketed earlier let her in the house and she sensed the counselor was in his study as she ghosted quietly through the house in the near dark until she could enter the man's workspace.

"Yillia, you know you are supposed to be in bed …" he began as she entered and then cut off abruptly as he saw her. Julienne supposed that Yillia must be a child. He reached into his desk quickly, but Monikas was there first and cut the desk in two before he could pull a weapon from a drawer. Jurum flinched back and held his hand in the air as he pushed back on a wheeled chair from the desk.

When he met her eyes, he looked resigned. "Let me guess," he said, "my work for Lord Synistair has met with disfavor by some member of the Dark Council and now I am to be sacrificed to make a point?"

Monikas knew she should have just finished the job, but something made her want to ask questions. "They say you have been financing this house and your estate by selling Sith secrets to the Republic." Councilor Jurum's eyes went wide.

"Then someone has lied to you; I am loyal to the Empire," said Jurum. "I spent four years in the army and fought on Alderaan. My extended family is quite rich, though, so I hardly need to be a traitor to afford this property."

"Daddy, who are talking too?" came a quiet voice.

Now Jurum's eyes became very wide and he mouthed a silent 'please.' Monikas scowled, extinguished her saber and withdrew to a corner just as a toddler came through the door.

"Daddy, what happened to your desk?" she asked in surprise and ran over to walk between the shattered halves.

"Oh, I guess this rare wood just had a flaw in the grain and could not support the weight anymore," said Jurum. He took his daughter in his arms and rubbed her back until she relaxed. For the first time in many years, Monikas remembered her father. It was such a distracting thought on a mission that she tried to set it aside immediately, but it would not go away. Her mother worked nights at times and so Monikas had often woken and gone looking for comfort to find her father working. The flood of repressed memories filled her mind for a few moments until she was brutally returned to herself by the intense pain of a blaster bolt in the shoulder. She hissed in pain and leaped sideways to avoid the next and the next.

Jurum had a former soldiers aim and it took all her skill to avoid or deflect the shots that kept coming until she finally had the presence of mind to deflect one back at him. He fell with a cry and Monikas caught her breath before walking over to check on the man. To her horror, she realized that, though Jurum had set his daughter down before he began firing, one of the stray deflected bolts had burned a hole in the small girl's chest. Father and daughter lay crumpled next to each other, their hands not quite touching.

Monikas stepped back and looked away. Always, mercy led to more suffering. Had she just killed the man, the daughter would still be alive. In her anger, she unleashed a terrible Force-blast that blew out the window in the room. She leaped out into the dark night and ran to the exterior wall of the estate faster than was humanly possible. Not even lightspeed could have outrun the memory that would surely haunt her and destroy her sleep and peaceful moments. Tonight had not been justice. The child's death had been an accident; Monikas had been fighting for her life, but at that moment, she would have taken the offer to trade with the dead girl.

When she returned, Monikas said nothing of the girl to Lord Acina, but simply reported the mission complete. Acina nodded and they discussed other plans that included more missions against other citizens of the Empire. Monikas should have been concerned that she felt nothing at the discussion of these future assassinations. They were just stepping stones on her way to righting all the wrongs that had been done. Only the Dark Council had any real power in the Empire and Acina was her access to the council. If she let herself mourn over one dead child and the father, then she would have to mourn all the deaths she had caused over the years. That would break her so she simple soldiered on, followed orders and completed her assignments.

When it was quiet though, Monikas wondered if this new attitude would leave her caring about anything by the time she was able to affect real change in the galaxy. She could not summon up the emotion to care either way.

* * *

When she returned from Hidej City, she had a message awaiting her from one of her personal informants. Monikas could not forget her order from Darth Acina to eliminate Lord Niacyn but her efforts to locate him in the capital had been fruitless.

"Ord Radama, is the word," said a young woman who worked in Imperial communications and often took money to pass on information that crossed her path. As far as Monikas knew, the woman did not inform for anyone else and the fees she charged were a mere pittance in comparison with the information she provided. Monikas shook her head. People did things for reasons that she often did not understand, but so far everything she had been told had been truthful and useful. "Ravage is making a play to bring the ordnance planet under his control with the quasi-approval of the council. Lord Nance is in charge and as usual Niacyn is there to keep everyone in line."

Monikas knew nothing of Radama outside of what she learned in her history classes and she had never visited there. It was time to make a plan. It was not just the fight that would take place, but it had to be staged in a way that would send the required message. She wondered for a moment if she should report to Darth Acina, but decided against it; she was a Sith Lord now and if she failed, let Acina wonder what had happened.

On a whim as she left the city, Monikas had entered a tattoo shop and asked the nervous owner to give her something to enhance her appearance. What resulted was a facial tattoo that looked like a clawed talon of a bird of prey that climbed the side of her face and wrapped around her left eye. It was well-done and she paid the artist quickly and left. When she saw herself in the window of the spaceport lobby, she realized that her transformation to Darth Monikas continued; the claw that now circled her eye changed her once-attractive appearance into something else; something to be feared.

The new capital of Ord Radama was called New Raido and it had been forced to endure a number of battles between the Sith and the Republic, but most recently had been subject to yet another invasion from Darth Malgus. Monikas almost smiled when it occurred to her that the residents of New Raido would probably applaud her if they knew she had been responsible for Malgus' death.

She had come to Radama with a simple carry-on bag using normal public transport. Her research had told her that the Imperial landings were closely monitored and she did not want anyone to know she was there until she was ready. Reconnaissance and planning would need to be excellent if this was going to work without any backup. She rented a room at a hotel that was neither a dive nor extravagant and then went to work. It did not take long to find the center of the Imperial operations, but she saw no sign of Niacyn from any vantage point that she could safely attain. She was tempted to hire a few local informants, but that would be a risk and only her impatience to be done with the job made her consider it. The problem was, she felt an internal clock ticking down to the time that the Emperor was going to end the galaxy and it bothered her. It was not ticking fast and it was not imminent, but it was coming closer day by day and she was doing nothing here to prevent it.

She had attempted to access her visions, but she had been having trouble seeing much of anything since she seen the vision that prompted her to try to remove the Emperor. That concerned her because her visions were the only thing she had to guide her on this complex underground movement she was trying to start to overthrow the Emperor. Perhaps they were clouded by too much Sith darkside Force use. It was possible. Proximity to Shem had always made them clearer and too much death had made them darker and less clear.

She fumed at the delay until nearly a month had passed on Ord Radama and things resolved themselves in a way she had neither seen nor anticipated. At the end of another long, fruitless day, Monikas was lost in thought as she rounded the last corner to return to her room. The presence of a Sith exploded in her mind just as a blast of Sith lightning took her in the chest and tossed her backwards. She slid up against the side of a building and rolled quickly sideways to avoid the next blast. She caught the third on her saber and knew a moment of shock when Lord Nance emerged from the alley and walked toward her.

He was much older than she had expected, or looked that way because of his use of the Dark Side. Like many Sith, the hair on his head had fallen out and the skin on his face was cracked and rough. He was wearing full armor and had his saber in his hand but it was not yet ignited.

"So you are Darth Monikas," he said and Monikas started again as Darth Niacyn emerged from the alley as well, a few steps back. This was not good. Unconsciously, she felt herself reaching for Shemric and had to quash the feeling immediately. She was on her own. And about to die, she admitted to herself.

The street was emptying quickly and soon it was quiet enough to hear the older Sith quite clearly without shouting. "I don't know why you are here, but Lord Ravage said it was time to stop whatever spying you were attemptin." Nance ignited his blade and moved towards her. Monikas backed slowly, trying to glean any intent or knowledge that she could from Niacyn. He was not particularly adept at covering his thoughts and as she drew back to focus on Darth Nance before her, she drew on a bit of hope. Niacyn clearly thought that Nance was a fool for coming himself instead of just sending Niacyn. Niacyn had been ordered to stay out of it and that was exactly what he intended to do.

Monikas now knew she would not have to fight two at once, but she would still have to fight two back-to-back, so she did not have a lot of time. She stopped backing and rushed Nance with Force-enhanced speed that startled him. His movement, as she attacked him with vicious, offensive strikes, became panicky as she drove him back step after step until his foot caught a curb and he stumbled backwards. She pounced without mercy and took his sword hand and then drove her blade into his neck before his back had even struck the hard permacrete.

She spun quickly to see Niacyn regarding her in surprise. Then he smiled. It was not a smile of overconfidence, she thought. It was the smile of a man looking forward to a contest. Monikas stood facing him, her chest heaving at the effort she had just expended. Niacyn did not rush her and she stepped back and circled to the middle of the now empty street.

"Well, I admit I have heard a bit about you and would like to have tested myself against you at full strength, rather than after you dispatched the fool Nance," said Niacyn. He shrugged his shoulders. "But, this is the job and nothing says it ever has to be fair. Still, after watching you just now, I begin to see that the rumors of you killing Malgus seem less far-fetched."

"I had help," she said quickly. This Niacyn was not too clever and Monikas really needed a moment of rest to catch her breath.

Niacyn stopped. "So that part of the rumor is true as well. They say you have had Jedi help in most of your supposed victories." Niacyn was not in a rush; he waited for her to respond.

"Yes, he was a Jedi I have met and used several times," she said. "Without him, I'm sure that Malgus would have made short work of me."

"Well, at least you admit it," said Niacyn and he started to advance again. "May the Gods of Korriban decide between you and me."

He rushed her and it was Monikas' turn to be forced back step after step. Niacyn was strong, both physically and in the Force and she felt like he was just pounding on her to soften her up as much as in any expectation that he would break through her defense. She avoided being backed into any corners and employed her Shemric-taught version of Sorensu to try to tire her opponent without him realizing it.

His expression changed as he began to breathe harder and then he abruptly stopped and stepped back. His intense concentration changed to a smile. "Very clever," he said. "I don't think I have ever had anyone employ Sorensu against me in quite that way before today. The first round goes to you, Lord Monikas. Let us see how this ends."

Niacyn closed with her again and this time his advance was measured and his attacks became more precise and more powerful. She knew the time to play the waiting game was over and she tried to counterattack with her best Djem So. For a time, their movement was too quick and violent to follow, but even backed by the Force, neither of them could sustain it for very long and she was happy to see he was the first one to step back and attempt to cook her with Force lighting. It nearly worked because he had summoned it near-instantly as he has stepped back from the saber fight.

She caught it on her blade but the sheer force of it knocked her back a step before an actual Force-blast sent her flying to crash though the window of a shop on the street front. She sprawled on the floor of a diner and groaned as she shoved herself to her feet just in time for a boot to contact her shoulder. She hit the ground hard enough that her vision blurred for a moment and she closed her eyes and reached out to where she imagined there was broken glass and hurled it in a storm where she guess he would be. She shoved against the bar and slid at an angle from him as she heard him cry out.

Monikas rolled to her feet with her lightsaber in hand to meet Niacyn's blade on her own. They stood there a moment, sabers locked and now her opponent's face was smiling broadly even as blood flooded from cuts on his cheek, forehead and hands. In that instant, she understood that Niacyn lived for the fight; he was enjoying this and not taking a thought for his own safety at all. He had not been tested like this for years and now he was exulting in the challenge as he battered Monikas across the shattered remnants of the diner.

Monikas had burns on her forearm and thigh that were painful but not debilitating yet, but she could feel something in her side that was wet and must have happened when she went through the window. That would slow her down very soon if she did not end this, but she could not end it in any way that favored her; Niacyn was just too powerful.

_Then take it away! _came that insistent voice in her head.

The memory of a fight in the jungle came to her and something Shemric had done to her once. She did not know how he had done it, but somehow the how of it came into her mind and she followed the thought to feel the Force connections between her and Niacyn. She _stopped_ him, froze him in time and space long enough to put her saber in his chest.

Both of them fell back on the ground a few meters apart. Monikas gulped in air and felt at her side again. She tried to stand and half-way up she was not sure if she was standing or falling. She swayed, steadied herself, and then walked over to Niacyn. She could sense his thoughts; he was not yet dead.

Niacyn spoke softly and blood bubbled at the edge of his mouth. "Bravo, Lord Monikas. Not sure what you did there, but it was kriffing useful, no?" He coughed and Monikas quickly flinched back to avoid the bloody spray. "I never thought … to lose … to a skinny girl." His chest was rising and falling but he seemed out of breath from what was surely a punctured lung. "Not to worry though …" More heavy breathing. "I've not felt … the joy … of battle … for a long …"

That was all. Monikas braced herself on a table that was miraculously untroubled and staggered out of the diner. She went to her room nearby and ignored the shocked look of the desk attendance as she passed; she assumed that she looked as bad as she felt. Her emergency first-aid kit was fairly advanced, but she only took the time to fix the deep gash in her side and then put on new clothes before she grabbed her bag and rushed out of the hotel by a little used exit and walked for several blocks, took a taxi across the city and found another room.

She wanted to be off-planet and alone as soon as possible, so she did a more extensive search of her person for injuries, did the best she could with what she had, made herself presentable and then headed out again, this time in the direction of the spaceport. Within an hour, she was on a flight headed for Dromund Kaas that allowed her to sleep for most of the journey.

She went to one of her safe houses first, changed into proper Sith Lord attire before presenting herself again at the estate of Lord Acina. She was without assignment and frankly, she wanted counsel on what to do next.

* * *

To her credit, Darth Acina did not act the least bit surprised when Monikas appeared. Rather, she nodded as if one more thing had been checked off her list. Julienne turned out to be the one who was surprised; something had changed in the manner in which Acina treated her. It was not fear she sensed, but killing Niacyn had made her former master very wary. Had Monikas been able to feel satisfaction, she might have thrilled at the idea that Acina now considered her a threat. Instead, she recognized it with the dull acceptance that greeted most of her work these days.

"I have a task for you to carry out here on Dromund Kaas," said Acina once Julienne had finish recounting her conflict with Niacyn. "Grand Moff Tsusa has begun to support Lord Ravage's plans and interrupt my own regularly. He needs to be removed from the board. You will work with my security detachment head, Colonel Josho to carry out the operation."

Monikas had rarely been used to carry out direct action missions on Dromund Kaas. The level of planning and care needed to do so in the capital was significantly higher than nearly anywhere else. When she reported to the colonel, she was not surprised that the operation was actually in the final stages of planning. They had been waiting for her return to carry it out because they needed someone capable of entering the moff's estate and setting charges and then carrying out surveillance to make sure the Moff was in residence when they were blown.

* * *

When Moff Tsusa had entered his study area, he flicked the switch that would alert the demolition team that the target was in position. She continued to watch him as he sat at his desk, his face lit by the glow of a holoprojection. She braced herself for the explosion, but then, to her great horror, she saw a small child enter her view and tug at her father's jacket. A moment later, a woman entered the room and picked up the child.

Monikas frantically opened up her comm channel and tried to raise the demo team. "Abort detonation! The Moff's family is not off the estate as was reported. Please acknowledge!" Tense moments passed and there was neither a reply nor an explosion. Then, Monikas was surprised when the reply came that it was the colonel himself that replied.

"Alpha One, is the target in the zone?"

"Bravo One, abort detonation until the zone is clear!" repeated Monikas.

The colonel ignored her and asked her to confirm again if the target was in the zone.

"Target is in the zone with family members not departed; abort until further notice," she said.

"Roger, Alpha One," came his reply.

Monikas put her head down on her arm and took in a deep breath. A moment later the ground shook and she looked up in shock to see an enormous explosion rising from where the residential quarters of the estate had been. Surprise and dismay filled her for a moment and then anger and understanding; there had never been any intent to spare the Moff's family. They had simply pandered to what they knew she would want to hear with no intention of scrubbing the mission on her word.

Monikas rose quickly and gathered her gear. She was supposed to return to Colonel Josho's war room to meet with the others and be debriefed. Her return was convoluted to avoid the security forces that were out in force escorting the first responders to the scene, so that when she finally returned, she was the last of the mission team to return. Tsusa was at the front of the room when she entered and they all turned to look at her. Josho's face change to anger when he saw her.

"Darth Monikas, you nearly compromised the mission with your actions … " he began, but that was where his accusation ended. Without even thinking, Monikas reached out and hurled him against a wall. Monitors and other equipment shattered on his impact and he slid to the ground with an outraged expression on his face. She rounded the table and picked him up again, this time holding him off the ground and choking him.

The voice that emerged from her own throat did not remind her of anything she had heard before. "You never intended to spare his family, did you?" It was not hard to penetrate his mind and see the truth of her statement. She tossed him against the wall again. Something inside her was dead and only anger made her feel anything. She spun on her heel and marched out.

"Lord Acina gave me her orders, Monikas! You do not command me or her forces!"

She turned back and saw Josho rising awkwardly to his feet. His eyes were ablaze and he would not have like to be manhandled by a child in front of his troops. When he met her eyes though, his protests stopped; Monikas idly wondered what he saw there that caused him to fear. Was it his death? Perhaps. It would take little effort to snuff him out, but he was not the target of her anger. She quelled the room with a look and then left.

Bursting in on Darth Acina was probably a bad idea, but Monikas anger was simmering now, with the lid on, waiting to burst out and boil over. She did not wait for an invitation to enter Acina's private work room, but instead strode in and glared at her former master and present patron.

"The loss of the family was regrettable," said Acina in a neutral tone.

Monikas knew that she was angry, but how angry did not really register until she heard the other Sith Lord write them off with such obvious disinterest.

"Since when do we kill our own citizens because staying our hand would have been inconvenient," she shouted!

Acina's look was clearly a warning, but the wrong answer from her was going to bring on a fight. Instead her words were like ice in her veins, chilling her with their truth.

"Since when has it bothered you to kill the citizens of the Empire?" said Acina.

"What are you talking about?"

Acina continued in that same uncaring voice. "Do you think all those soldiers you killed on Balmorra for you Jedi lover were robots? I'm sure many of them had families. Children and wives like the ones you just destroyed in that explosion."

"They were combatants; that is not the same!" countered Monikas.

"Please explain it to me then with your ambiguous moral compass, dear Monikas," replied Acina. "They were soldiers following orders. My orders, actually."

Having her confirm that particular attempt on her life had the opposite effect she had expected. Instead of causing her temper to spill over, it put ice in her veins. "Did you want them to succeed?" asked Monikas in a quiet voice.

"I did not expect them to," replied Acina. Her gaze was challenging; it was clear that the senior Sith had heard as much insubordination as would stand on that day. "I knew they would kill some of our enemy's soldiers and nudge you along to doing your duty."

Knowing that she had probably sent those men to die and actually hearing her say it out loud broke something in Monikas. _She_ had killed many of those men. It had been easy to justify in those days. She was following orders and Darth Jyric's incompetent handling of the planet was costing more lives that she was taking. It was just math then.

Monikas turned to leave.

"If you walk out that door, you will no longer be under my protection," said Acina.

The thought infuriated Monikas, but her anger was all gone replaced with cold, unfeeling regret and self-recrimination. She turned back to her former master and met her eyes.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" she asked.

Acina actually smiled. "Oh, my dear Monikas, so dramatic; no, it was not a threat. I am not going to bother sending someone after you and frankly, I doubt I could pay anyone to take the job right now. It is just a friendly warning that Darth Monikas on her own will be considered a dangerous rogue with no patron and uncertain foreign connections."

And there it was. Monikas was untrustworthy for associating with the enemy. A fact that Acina had exploited over and over to her advantage. She had been very cleverly maneuvered into a box of her own making. Acina had tied Monikas to her cause as surely as if Monikas had pledged her undying loyalty in blood. There was nothing for it now but to ride it out.

She nodded and Acina did well not to smile.

"I am sending you to Nar Kreeta," she said. "Pirates there have been a nuisance to the shipping lanes in the area for years and they recently branched out and attacked a small destroyer. The council wants them eliminated. I am placing you under the command of Darth Gravil for this mission."

That was a surprise. Gravil was a Sith Lord who had started as a soldier, much like Darth Malgus, and then eventually been taken on directly by Lord Ravage as an apprentice without attending the academy. Gravil was the nominal head of Ravage's security forces, which was suspected to be a small army unto itself. Warning bells went off immediately in her head at being place in a subordinate position to such a man. She had always operated in pairs or solo and this sounded more like a military mission.

At the same moment she had been thinking on this assignment, she also noted that Lord Acina was taking unusual care to prevent any stray thoughts was escaping. There was a feel to a person's normal thought pattern and also when they were being unusually careful to prevent anyone from reading their thoughts. Beyond her normal psionic defenses, Acina rarely attempted to overtly conceal things from Monikas. She had always suspected her former master thought her psionic shields too strong for casual penetration and had rarely bothered to even try. That she was doing so now was doubly suspicious.

Monikas bowed herself out and walked the halls of Acina's fortress for a time before wondering why she was so angry. A man and his family had been killed for the greater good of the Empire. She supposed were Shemric there, or his oft-heard voice in her head, he would have explained why that was wrong. The problem was, she never heard those voices from Shemric anymore. Like the real man likely would have reacted, that Force-induced voice in her head had stopped speaking to her when she stopped listening and heeding his advice. She supposed it was only fair.

With her persona of Darth Monikas pulled more tightly around her, she went to Lord Acina's comm center and sent a message to Darth Gravil. What did one more mission matter one way or the other?


	12. Chapter 12

Nar Kreeta 3644

The problem with being locked in a cell, thought Monikas, was that you had nothing but time to contemplate all the bad choices that had led you to that point. It did not help her contemplations that they had probably broken something in her head. Her thoughts were difficult to keep clear and she constantly passed out and woke up at some point wondering how much time had passed.

Nar Kreeta had never been about removing troublesome pirates. She now feared that it had been a trap for Shemric all along and her former master had been ordered to send her new Sith Lord as bait. Monikas wondered if she had not been so deadened to everything around her if she might not have sniffed out the ploy and thus avoided her current situation.

Since they never really asked her any questions when they tortured her, she was fairly sure that the only point of her pain was to alert Shemric halfway across the galaxy and thus lure him here to be killed. As soon as she realized this, she had done her best to limit her psionic sendings to him and tried to avoid thinking about him at all. Her captors had not been prepared for the amount of control she had and were not at all happy about how long everything was taking.

Unfortunately, she was now fairly sure that despite all her efforts, Shem was on his way anyway. That should have brought her a bit of hope and comfort, but she continued to feel almost nothing. Her plan to destroy the Emperor was on hold and it was about the only reason she did not just stop eating and lay down to die. Despite everything, she still remembered that the galaxy as a whole was in trouble if she did not do something to stop him.

The only way that was going to happen was if Shem found her and managed to rescue her. That seemed unlikely; not that he would come but that they would somehow survive. Of course, they had survived all sorts of other things, but this one seemed a stretch.

Monikas could sense he was close now. Nearing the planet close. She might have attempted to warn him off one last time, but it would be pointless. The Jedi was a hopeless moron, in love with her, of all people, and he was coming.

When she felt him near the fortress, she concentrated as hard as she could and tried to share her location, but the effort tasked her already injured brain and she passed out…

...only to awake some time later feeling better than she had a in a long time. He must have done something inside of her head.

_Well, it took you long enough to find me_.

That was clearly not the reception he was hoping to receive.

_Well, your call was a little fuzzy; I sort of had to fill in the details_, he said as he felt at her restraints.

"Can we get these things off?" She shook her wrists. She knew she should feel grateful but in truth it was resignation. _I would be more excited to see you if you had not ignored my warning and come for me, _she said_. This was a trap and you came anyway._

That snapped him out of his reverie. "What?"

She snapped her fingers in front of him. _Focus on me_, she said. _My 'Master'_ and she formed those words with a great deal of cynicism, _sent me on a sham mission in order to get me caught and bring you to me._

_And why do they want me, he asked?_

_Someone wants you dead, apparently_," she said. _I suspect that is my fault_. She touched his face tenderly but she felt regretful. _I am sorry you got pulled into this problem. I tried to close down my mind when I realized what they were doing, but torture seriously hampers your ability to control it. Now the only way I am getting out of here is over your shoulder and that is going to seriously hamper your fighting ability._

Shemric sniffed. "My dear, you underestimate my power." His delivery was so pompous that she should have laughed but could not do it. _Watch and learn, my dear Juju. I have already healed your broken leg and you are going to walk out of here. I did as much for your wrist as I could. I hope you are going to be of use in a fight._

"What are you…?" she began and he put a finger over her lips. It was all very odd, having this conversation in the pitch dark of her cell. "Enough, Shemric! I can deal with the rest. " She was already flexing her hands in satisfaction and he reluctantly let her go.

"Well then, someone has been busy learning new tricks," she said.

"I could not spend all my time pining after my lost love," he said.

When she did not react, Monikas could sense that he was wondering if there was something wrong with her. He would just have to learn in good time.

_I hope you brought me a weapon, she said. I have some payback to deliver._

Escaping the cell was not too hard and he even provided her with another of the custom built sabers he was so talented at producing. She felt much better but sensed the healing had tired him.

_I wish you had not healed a few of those bruises, she said. _

_I barely touched the bruising, he said. You should have fewer headaches now._

Was he saying he had physically healed her head injury.. _Did you fix my brain?_

_Just your skull; it turns out even yours was not thick enough to keep from cracking after repeated abuse, he smiled. Fixing your skull relieved pressure on your brain. Almost like what happened back on Balmorra and Zeltron both, except I am much more skilled now. You should think about wearing a helmet._

_They don't give you a helmet during torture, she pointed out. Well, that is going to be nice, she said. I have been having horrible headaches—when I was still conscious. Let us leave. I have spent enough time in this miserable place._

Apparently Shemric thought he was going to be able to sneak in and out, but he needed to know what was waiting. . _It is not going to work, Shemric. Darth Gravil is here and he is going to find us one way or another. Let us not lead him to your getaway vehicle._

_I do not really have a getaway vehicle. I was thinking we would steal one. _ They were waiting in the darkness of a small alcove as two guards passed.

_He will probably be waiting in the hangar anyway, _she said.

_Anything I should know about him, Shem asked? _

_He is very dangerous, she said. He is a blademaster, but he is also quite skilled at tossing things at you in the middle of the fight. He barely has to think about it. Expect lightning._

_Okay, I have fought that type before, he said. _

_And he may have brought some cronies, she said. Not Sith Lords, but soldiers and apprentices with some Force powers and lightsabers._

Shemric gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. _That is not really good news, he said. For them. I have not been idle in other ways while you were gone. We will be fine. Lead the way and we will play this out._

He hardly seemed like the Shemric she remembered. His confidence was never misplaced, so perhaps he would at least make this an interesting attempt. She nodded grimly and took the lead through the meandering corridors.

When he first noticed her tattoo, he started visibly. "Nice tattoo," was what he said, but he did not feel that way. He did not like it at all. Ignoring him was the only thing to do.

She led him to the vast hanger that the smuggler/pirates used to house their stolen ships and their own pirate fleet. Gravil's presence in the Force was clear.

"Well, it appears you can deliver on your promises after all, Monikas," he said when they entered. Monikas sensed that he was trying to make Shem doubt her loyalty, but he clearly did not understand.. "Please explain why you did not just kill him and bring me the body."

"Was that your orders, _Lord Gravil_?" she said and twisted the last word with mockery. "I seem to remember coming here for a different mission." Whatever came of this, she would be happy to wipe the sneer off his face.

"You came here at my convenience!" barked the man, "and you will die at my convenience as well."

"What possible reason could you have for luring me here?" interjected Shem.

"Who can say? The Emperor commands and I obey."

Monikas tried to hide her surprise. It was the Emperor's plot. That was not really good news for either one of them. _There are deep waters here, Shemric; I am even sorrier you came, now._

"The Emperor wants you dead, little Jedi, so dead you shall become," said the Sith.

The Sith Lord flicked his hand and several others stepped out from the shadows. Monikas counted six.

_Let me deal with them,_ said Shemric. _Warn me if Big-Ugly there intervenes_.

Normally he would never had pushed her to the side, but now he was right to do so. Monikas was surprised when he unlimbered two sabers. The fight that followed was as one-sided as it was short. Shemric's skills were sharper than ever and the most he contributed was dispatching one idiot who forgot she was armed. She did little else until Gravil tried to fry Shem with lightning and she warned him.

He caught it and held it an instant before he sent it forth into his two attackers. Both Sith fighters jerked in surprise and staggered backwards towards her and she killed them both quickly. Shemric turned to face the Sith Lord who was regarding him with something between anger and curiosity.

"I have never seen anyone do that before, boy," said Gravil. "That is quite a trick." Monikas remarked that his voice sounded unsure though. If you cannot throw lightning at a Jedi then it makes the fight a bit more complicated. "It does not matter. I will still stomp you like a Nisht rat." She fanned out to one side to place the Sith between them, but their opponent ignored her for now and attacked Shemric with great sweeping blows like a man intent on beating him into submission. It was a violent, powerful version of Djem So,and Shem easily countered in the tranquility of Sorensu.

When Monikas attacked him again from behind, he twisted and tried to blast her off her feet. She caught the lightning on her blade and Shemric attacked Gravil and drove him back again. He blasted them both with lightning and she lost her feet. Gaining them again was no easy feat and as soon as she did. Gravil was staggering back to her. She aimed a sharp thrust at him, but he caught his balance and swung wildly to block her. She came in under his arm but missed a killing stroke and punched a hole in his side. Gravil managed to block her next stroke and then blasted her away from him so that she flew through the air to hit a wall and crumple in a heap.

When Monikas came to again, she was surprised to see that Gravil had Shemric in a Force choke and he was panicky and ready to pass out. The Sith did not appear to notice Monikas at all. She staggered over, holding her Force aura tightly so he would not sense her and ignited her blade in his back.

When he toppled, she looked over to see Shem taking in great gulps of air. _I have been waiting a long time for that_, said Julienne as she reached out a hand to help him to his feet.

_I thought you were unconscious and I was dead_, he said and then he gripped her in a crushing hug. She patted his back awkwardly as he sobbed into her shoulder. _I could not breathe; I could not make my body do anything. Thank you. Thank you..._

_Come on, Shemric, you are freaking me out; get a grip on yourself_, said Monikas holding him at arm's length. _We survived. Now we need to move and moan and groan later._ They hobbled off and picked out a ship to take. The pirates had cleared the hangar for the Sith making it easier to steal a ship. The pirates seemed to have realized the same thing because a few moments later, shouts erupted out of the end of the hangar opposite from which Shemric and Julienne had entered.

_Take the belly turret gun!_ she ordered Shem and started bringing the ships drives online. The pirates seemed to be struggling with whether they ought to blast their own ship or try and take it back. Shem started blasting and she let him know they needed to blow the hangar doors. His weapon did nothing more than leave a cou0ple of scorch marks on the massive alloy barriers that were preventing their escape. _Not with these guns. We got anything bigger?_ The craft lifted off and swung about. _Release the manual controls! I am slaving them all to cockpit control! she let him know._ When it was ready, she blasted away until there was a space for them to depart. Cannon fire rocked the ship.

_It seems they want payback_, thought Shemric.

They _want payback_... replied Monikas. She would give them more than they could imagine. . _You have fire control back. Stay with me_. It had been years, but their merged consciousness snapped quickly into focus. He was looking out of her eyes and his own eyes at the same time. It was very weird but they had perfected it against Darth Malgus and now it made them move like one brain with many hands. They held off the pirate ships despite the odds until more than a dozen had been destroyed and the rest fled back to their base. Whether he whooped or she did, he was not sure, but it felt like one in the same.

When they jumped to hyperspace, Monikas sat back and could not believe that Shem had managed yet another survival against all odds. He was not going to like what came next. She closed her eyes and waited for him.

_We survived again, _he said.

_We are very good at that, _she replied_. This time was my fault_, she said quietly without opening her eyes.

_I find it a little alarming that the Sith Emperor knows who I am,_ he said.

_You should; he is … I am not sure how to describe him_, she said opening her eyes and looking into his. _He feels like all the evil in the galaxy concentrated into one being_.

_Evil? Why should that concern a Sith Lord_, he asked lightly.

_It should concern everyone! _she came back sharply. _He is insane. He has been alive for more than a millennium. Why does not anyone else find that ridiculous?_

_No one can live that long_, said Shemric.

She shook her head. _You cannot understand it unless you were to meet him. It was horrible. I suspect he pulled something out of my mind that makes him think you are a threat. There are rumors, she said. They talk about the Emperor coming from a world that no longer exists. He devoured it in some sort of Force ritual. Whatever happened there, well, it could not have been good, but the implication was that it gave the man near God-like power_.

Monikas could sense Shem's doubt but his trust of her was greater; she might have found it touching at another time. _I had heard too many stories of people that just disappeared when they started asking questions about the Emperor, so I did not look into it any further, but now I fear we may both be marked._

_We have a habit of surviving against other Sith Lords, _he said.

_This is not like the others, she said. If I could show you then you would understand._

He reached a hand across the cockpit and took hers. _Show me then, _he said. He opened himself to her tried to deepen the hastily-reforged link they were sharing.

_I am not sure I want to do that, she said. Shem … _Monikas shook her head. Showing him the Emperor would not be easy without him sensing everything else she had been doing. In the end, she decided it was the only way.

She did not release his hand, though and she joined more fully than they had been joined before. She was not showing him, she was _taking_ him with her.

_Julienne approached her master with much more confidence than ever before. She had learned a great deal on this mission and despite losing the … comfort of Shemric's presence, he had still taught her much on this trip and honed her edge to its sharpest. Of course, her master could decide she did not like how things had gone and crush her under a heel, but that had been the case every day since she had been taken on after Darth Fright._

_ "__You look well-rested my young apprentice," said Acina. There was an edge of humor in her voice that could be deadly if it went the wrong way. "You took me at my word when I told you to take your Jedi boy-toy on a vacation."_

_ "__We were training, Master, and I think it was quite effective," said Julienne. "Someone moved against us before we left though. Someone who had the resources to track us." This was not going at all as she had imagined. Removing Malgus from the board ought to have at least warranted some sort of congratulation. _

_"__We have enemies, though you did give them the slip for a while on Balmorra," said Acina. "You made quite a mess back on Zeltros," said Acina. Her tone was neutral and Julienne was not sure if she was angry or pleased. "Lord Batron himself looked like he had been incinerated with lightning."_

_"__More or less," said Julienne._

_"__And the rest had been put through the meat grinder," said Acina. "You have become very formidable, my apprentice. Acina smiled then; it was a hideous thing and nearly made Julienne cringe. Spending too much time with Shemric had always made her too aware of the depravity of the Dark Council and those who aspired to gain a seat. They were deeply steeped in Darkside power and it radiated from them almost like heat from a furnace. "You have done well. Killing Malgus has gained you a great deal of esteem in the Council, even if you had help. None of the others thought you would survive. They simply thought to reduce my power by taking away a useful tool."_

_Julienne wondered if Acina herself had thought she would survive. She certainly would not have done so without Shemric but her master had expected her to bring him. Plots within plots._

_ "__As such I have been authorized to present you for ascension," said Acina. "You will be also be honored to meet the Emperor." A thrill of fear and anticipation ran through Julienne as she contemplated how things would change. Not all new Sith Lords met him, so this was supposed to be a great tribute to her work. She wished that Shemric could be there to see her achieve her goal, finally. The irony of that thought nearly caused her to smile, but she kept it to herself. _

_An interesting side effect of her deep and continuous contact with Shemric manifested itself then; before, she had always had to work hard to conceal her thoughts from Acina; now it seemed as if she could almost sense some of what Acina was thinking while keeping back her own plans without effort. Her master had plans for her and she was hoping that Julienne would remain in her service. They were vague impressions, but she thought they read true._

_There was not really any formality or ceremony for ascension; when you were selected you chose a new name or your master did it for you. _

_"__What shall we call you," asked Acina?_

_"__Darth Monikas."_

_"__Is that name significant for some reason," asked Acina?_

_"__I have used it before when you have sent me out," said Julienne. _

_Her master nodded. "Then you shall be Darth Monikas."_

She moved forward in time.

_"__When you are presented," said Acina, "you will bow low and speak when he asks you questions."_

_Julienne was suddenly conscious of … something, that permeated the entire structure with a fowl stench that was more mental than physical. She wanted to ask if it always felt that way, but she doubted her master… her former master would notice. _

_ "__As soon as the session is over, you will be besieged by the others who wish to employ you," said Acina. "You can tell them yourselves what you plan to do or I can let them know when you are introduced. The latter is considered a sign of weakness generally, but avoids the unpleasant task of having to turn them all down when they request your services. I do not mean the end of the actual meeting, but you will be invited to their estates over the coming days. Not all will want you, but certainly Ravage from Expansion and Diplomacy, Zhorrid from Imperial Intel and perhaps Decimus from Military Strategy will all make a play. They have the most to gain from your skills. Mekhis has been over Technology for some time, but I do not believe he would use you well; outside of Zhorrid, most will want to break you away from me."_

_They had discussed this before and it made Julienne wonder why she was rambling. Perhaps she was equally nervous. Did she expect to supplant someone on the Council today? Mekhis was Acina's sponsor and he would benefit from her elevation, if only by extension of his association with her former master._

_Passing the heavily guarded entrance did not make Julienne feel any better. It was a fortress in truth. It would take an army to break in. Lightning arced in the sky and she suppressed at cringe. Again she wondered how wise it was to spend a month on a pleasure planet with Shemric. Coming back to Dromund Kaas reminded her that it was a different, poisoned, dangerous world. _

_The Council Chamber itself was massive, as were the huge thrones each occupied by a council member. They took up a position near the throne of Darth Mekhis and stood waiting. When all twelve of the council were assembled, they began the proceedings and began to discuss the various plots and things that needed to be coordinated among the different spheres._

_It became immediately apparent why having a place near a council member was so clearly advantageous; just listening in on meetings would give a person a wealth of valuable information. The wealth of the Council members grew from their inside knowledge of the workings of the Empire and they used it for their own aggrandizement. The knowledge that they enriched themselves at the expense of others was another brick in the wall she had built between herself and her loyalty to the Empire. It soured any feeling of accomplishment that came from her ascension. _

_Finally, when many matter had been discussed the atmosphere of the room changed and an enormous image of a middle-aged man appeared in the middle of the chamber. Julienne felt like she could not breathe. _Something_ was pressing down on her; it was not a physical sensation but it was so overpowering that she went down to the ground on all fours. That sensation felt like it was rummaging through her very being and seeing and taking away what it wanted. She wondered if this was how rape victims felt as their soul was damaged by the acts perpetrated on them. She felt disgusted but pulled herself together and held her Force-awareness close to her being like a blanket when one wrapped up from the cold._

_MY COUNCIL, came a voice and she was not sure if it was physical sound waves or in her mind. It was invasive and she pulled back from it. YOUR WORKS PLEASE ME. HAVE YOU NEW INFORMATION FOR ME TODAY? _

_Julienne sensed Darth Mekhis stand and put himself forward._

_"__Great Master, I bring word of the demise of one who has been useful in the past, but had become troublesome," said Mekhis. Acina had described how this would go. As her patron, he would claim some credit in the plot, but how much credit he claimed would depend on how strong his position was with Acina. If he took too much credit then it would weaken her desire to help in the future. "Darth Acina engineered a plot to bring about the downfall of Darth Malgus who has consistently defied the will of this council. I will let her describe her actions." That was a surprise. Yielding the floor so soon indicated Acina had been operating very independently, perhaps with minimum guidance from Mehkis. _

_Julienne saw Acina start and then rise and move to stand next to Mekhis. _

_"__Great Master, it came to my awareness that Malgus had taken his forces into the Unknown Regions and was conquering worlds there, perhaps to acquire power to challenge the Empire. I sent my apprentice to investigate and bring back information. She discovered him in the process of subduing a resource-rich world on the very outer rim of the galaxy. He had begun to construct factories and to mine the resources to create his own fleet. _

_AND NO ONE THOUGHT TO INFORM ME OF THIS PRIOR TO NOW, came the voice and the displeasure was palpable._

_"__Emperor, it seemed better to act before reporting on speculation," said Acina quickly. "I sent my apprentice in to disrupt his activities. The intent was to provoke a confrontation with Malgus and kill him without destroying his war apparatus that he was building._

_There was silence for a time. THIS SEEMS TO BE WISE. I ASSUME MALGUS WAS KILLED, THEN?_

_"__Yes, Great Master, my apprentice and her accomplices were able to draw him out and defeat him," said Acina._

_YOUR APPRENTICE DEFEATED DARTH MALGUS? THAT SEEMS UNLIKELY. FOR ALL HIS LACK OF SUBTLEY, HE WAS VERY POWERFUL._

_"__As you say, Great Master, but she has grown very strong and we created the conditions that would isolate Malgus. She and an accomplice were able to slay him because he sought them out alone."_

_LET HER STAND FORTH. WELCOME DARTH MONIKAS._

_Julienne had never been so sure of her eminent demise than at that moment. Something deep inside warned her that she had to protect her connection to Shemric lest something be discovered that would cause her to be snuffed out. Somehow, she stood and spoke out._

_"__Thank you, Great Master, I live to serve the Empire," said said._

_Silence. That feeling of having her memories sifted began again and she shrank back from it. She held herself close and focused solely on the tile marble tile in front of her. She was so focused that she started when the voice came again. _

_HOW WAS THIS THING DONE, THEN, DARTH MONIKAS?_

_Julienne had prepared her story well and she wished she were a better deceiver. "I have on several occasions, suborned the loyalty of a Jedi to further the plans of the Empire. We have worked well together and between us, we were able to defeat Malgus. It was a near thing." She had decided that self-effacing would be best._

_MALGUS OFTEN DEFEATED JEDI, SOMETIMES MORE THAN ONE. DEFEATING HIM WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFICULT. Silence. Interminable silence. Julienne knew this was the moment, one way or another. Finally…_

_I FIND YOU WORTHY, DARTH MONIKAS. WOULD THAT YOU HAD BROUGHT THIS JEDI WITH YOU. HE MIGHT MAKE A FINE SERVANT. _

_Julienne withdrew quickly. She sensed the amusement of the other attendees and decided she did not care if they took it for fear. She was not so sure she was not more terrified than she had ever been. Having the Emperor riddle through her personal memories and who knows what else had been the most unpleasant experience of her life. He was … wrong. Such a being should not exist. All the rumors of his power and corruption seemed to pale next to the casual malevolence of standing in his presence. She wanted to bathe. _

_Julienne remembered almost nothing of the remainder of the meeting and was more than happy to leave when they adjourned. Before they had even left the fortress, she was approached by Darth Zhorrid…_

When they had finished. Shemric blinked several times and said, "That was … unpleasant."

She snorted. "Imagine being there in person. I tried to keep back as much as possible, but clearly he now considers you a threat, and he probably sifted it out of my memories."

"Well, it is done," he said. "Where are we going now?" he asked.

"Nar Shaddaa," she said.

"Really?" he said. "That is not exactly a safe place for a Jedi last time I checked."

"So do not be a Jedi there," she said. "You can be a Sith Lord's evil minion." She said it so dramatically that he laughed, but it had not been a joke and she did not return his smile and let go of his hand. "You got along well enough on Balmorra without resorting to a lightsaber."

"I do not go anywhere anymore without a lightsaber," he said. "You forgot about my little trick." He held out his hand. In less than a second he had brought all the pieces of his lightsaber together and lit the saber so that a silvery beam painted a soft glow about the cockpit.

"Now that has always been handy," she said. "I can take mine apart and put it back together, but not like that."

"Practice and an affinity for the particular materials in this one," he said. "I created and number each piece in my head. It is like any other skill; do it often enough and you can do it quickly."

"Well, that ought to be a last resort, even so," she said. "At least we will not have to solely rely on conventional weapons." She yawned. "I need to sleep and recover." There was an awkwardness between them as they began to explore the ship. She sensed what he was feeling but she could just not access those feelings anymore.

"And why are we going to Hutt Space, again?" he asked as they wandered through the ship.

"To sell this thing," she said. "We may as well profit from all the trouble we had."

"I do not really need the money," he pointed out.

"I knew that; you Jedi and all your vows of poverty," she said. At another time that would have been mocking but she felt no humor. "I have a feeling I am going to need the money for bribes."

She pointed out one of the ships 'freshers and went and found the other for herself. She finished quickly and curled up on the smallest bunk she could find. With her psionic skills intact, she put herself to sleep in seconds.

* * *

Nar Shaddaa looked like a house that had been passed down through several generations without ever being maintained. If you sort of blurred your vision and used your imagination you could see the great, towering vistas of its former brightness and glory, but now it looked like most of the light bulbs were burned out and the residents had no money to replace them.

They landed their ship on a large platform that jutted out from the side of one of the towers but considerably less than half the office-space windows were lit and the laundry hanging out of the windows argued most of it was not being used for business. There were three or four other ships there, and further up the landing, men with rifles and stun-sticks emerged to investigate. Monikas wore her Sith black and id her best to look menacing. Shemric had put on his clothes and the armor he had worn to rescue her and she had provided another black cape. It hid both their faces as they walked down the ramp.

Apparently the effect of Sith Lord and apprentice was received exactly as they hoped. The creatures' eyes widened in surprise and then fear.

"I will be renting this spot until further notice," said Monikas. She used a miled suggestion to reinforce her words. "My apprentice will stay with the ship to keep an eye on things. You may send your master out to collect from him as soon as you wish. You will forget what I look like after I have departed."

The creatures continued to nod and then turned back to scurry inside the skyscrapers interior. "You make a menacing figure when you wish," mentioned Shemric.

"It would have been easier if I was taller," she said. "It is easier to loom when you are tall. I will let you know what to do as soon as possible. Until then, we need to stay as small as possible." They nodded to each other and she left. They had argued over the plan on the way to Nar Shaddar and further protests were pointless.

"I have been here a few times," she said. "Information can be bought on Nar Shaddaa that you cannot find in other places."

"Are you here to sell the ship or find out information?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "Selling the ship will allow me to buy the information."

"Do you not think that might be a little dangerous now that the Emperor is your enemy?" he had asked.

"Very," she admitted. "I do not intend to return to Dromund Kaas. I need to find a splinter cell somewhere. People that are trying to get rid of the Emperor. I began making contacts soon after I was raised, so I expect there will be some action by now."

"Ah, so you are rebelling against the Empire now?" he said with amusement.

"Just the Emperor," she said sharply. "From there … well, we shall see."

She had detailed her plan then, which first involved selling the ship and then diving into the more dangerous parts of the underside of the moon to find the answers she needed. She had warned him to be patient.

It took the better part of a day to find out anything useful at all. Even then, all she found out was one word: Nathema. She had no idea what it meant and no amount of money would loosen the tongues of anyone she met. Only by gleaning their thoughts had he come up with that one word or name that none of them dared say out loud. Now she had to dig a little more to find out what it even meant.

By the time she finally contacted Shemric, she could tell he was irritated but she simply send him directions. G_o up to the cockpit please._ "I have a buyer," she said, using a comm device. "Please fly to these coordinates and I will be waiting." She send the location and then the transmission was cut off.

She waited for him at a large platform that served as a used spaceship lot. When he neared her location, she gave him a sending and he found her as she flashed a red light one time. When he landed, she brought the old man with whom she had been negotiating out to see the ship. |She took him aboard the ship, and he eyeballed Shem for a moment before doing a rather thorough inspection.

"Well, it seemed unlikely that you could have been correct in your numbers, but it seems that you were, so I will tender the second offer," he said. The man was very nervous and Monikas wondered what he was hiding. However, he was also naturally good at guarding his thoughts and she did not want to intrude further in case someone else interrogated him. She nodded and accepted the offer and he looked more relieved than seemed appropriate for the situation. "Can I call you an aircar to take you back to … wherever you need to go."

Shemric seemed surprised when she accepted. Once she had verified the transaction had gone through, she nodded and walked down the ramp. The old man and his bodyguard disappeared inside.

"You seem to have the intimidating Sith Lord look down well," said Shemric.

She looked at him in surprise and shook her head. "I am Darth Monikas. I am not sure how much of Julienne Qa will survive what we have to do."

"If Julienne does not survive, then what is the point of any of this?" he asked.

"The betterment of others," she pointed out. That question might have sparked pondering questions six months ago, but now it did nothing.

Shemric's scowl was to be expected; he still wished for a happy ending that seemed increasingly unlikely. "Walk with me this way," she said abruptly. She led him over to the edge of the platform in such a way as to leave the line of sight of the new owners of their ship. "I am not sure we should be taking any car that he summons…" began Shemric before she interrupted him. "_Jump_!"

She jumped and knew he would follow, as he always did. He caught her hand in a few moments and asked, _How do we get off this elevator_?" he asked. A moment later, an air cargo truck dropped in beside them and they maneuvered to catch its exterior handhold. Once secured it began to decelerate until it came to a stop and they climbed in quickly. When they made it inside, Monikas extinguished the all the lights, put on her straps and belts and then accelerated away through the obstacle-rich lower city. After perhaps fifteen minutes, she adeptly pulled into a parking space at a middle-class high-rise apartment and they disembarked.

"I take it you felt threatened after the sale?" he asked.

"I sense someone who is ill-disposed towards the Sith at the moment," she said. "We shall have to come up with a different persona." She kept moving and he followed her as they moved quickly to the elevators, descended several hundred floors, crossed to another building and then finally took a public walkway to a seedy looking hotel that had a neon sign out front with only half the letters working.

"This looks nice," he commented.

"This is just a front," she said and walked through the front doors and directly to another elevator. A few minutes later she used a card key to open a door and they entered a very modest room with a bed, a nightstand, a surprisingly large bathroom and many bags and boxes.

"Welcome to home base," she said. It was a place she had used before when she had stayed here that had not been an official Sith safehouse. Those were clearly closed to her now.

"Mmmm, cozy," he said.

"Have you slept?"

"A little," he said.

"Well, I am exhausted," she admitted. "Let us rest now and figure out where to go in the morning."

"Fine with me," said Shemric. "I am still not sure what we are doing anyway."

"You will see," said Julienne. She knew her voice came out flat but that was just how it was, now. They slept in separate beds again.


	13. Chapter 13 Nar Shadaa

Nar Shaddaa

Julienne's mode of dress the next day was so ordinary as to not excite comment and she applied makeup to deemphasize her features rather than the normal purpose of highlighting them. Even to herself, she looked tired and worn out and that was not all make up.

"So what are we doing today?" Shem asked.

"Questions, lots of questions," she said. "Get dressed," she motioned toward two of the bigger boxes. "Armor for you in there. And I may give you a facial scar or two to make you look more intimidating."

After closer inspection, he asked, "Is this even real armor?" he asked.

"It is, but the newest fad is for your bodyguards to look a little rough around the edges," she said. He began to buckle it on piece by piece until he looked like a grizzled veteran of many a conflict.

"You still look too young," she commented. "How have you managed survive so much war without any visible scars?"

"I heal well," he said. "It tends not to leave scars."

She nodded. His healing had clearly taken an advanced step forard so it followed that he would have fewer marks than a normal soldier. He certainly would not havve removed the scars out of vanityy. "Well, put your old boots on and check out your weapons. I will give you a scar last, before we leave." She watched him check out the weapons she provided and despite never seeing him use pistols or rifle, he broke them down and looked very proficient. When he presented his shabby looking self to the bathroom, Julienne skillfully applied makeup to make him look a little older and gave him a few slight scars.

"Nice; you look quite grizzled."

"Why not just buy me a helmet?" he asked.

"Because I want to see you scowling and grumpy today," she said.

"You are the boss," he said in his best militaristic voice.

"Exactly," she said. It was another attempt at humor, but she could not summon up a smile. She could feel his scowl and turned to regard him. "There! That is exactly the look I want to see. Slightly bored but ready and dangerous at the same time."

"I will try my best," he mumbled.

She proceeded to drag him through a number of clandestine meetings and she could tell he was bored, but there was no help for it. Their meetings took place in all sorts of odd places; one was a large space yacht dealership; one was in a dark alley next to a pile of trash; one was in a run-down restaurant where they actually ate a meal before the meeting began. Well, she ate a meal and Shemric patrolled around her table.

After conversing will several different beings in multiple meetings, Shemric commented. "None of these folks look afraid of you anymore. They look afraid of passing you information."

"That is because the information is very dangerous," was all she would say. Only the last meeting had really revealed anything that she could use. It was not even a name; just a place where certain sorts of people hung out. She shook her head. She should have know information on the Emperor's past would be nearly impossible to dig up.

It was the last meeting where things got out of hand.

Monikas sensed Shemric's tension and was glad he was there. This meet was the most dangerous. Six or seven rough-looking fellows of different species stepped out of the shadows and she knew this was an ambush. One of them, a Neimodian, stepped forward. "We hear you are looking for information. We think maybe you should not really be doing that. We would very much like to know who you are."

_I expected this meeting to be different. Get ready to move on my signal._

The Neimoidian came closer. "Sometimes it is better not to seek information about certain parties," he said. "Sometimes questions should not be answered."

"Are you here to provide answers?" said Julienne in a light voice. "We pay well for filling the gaps in our knowledge."

"Spending your money will do us no good if we are dead," he said.

"Whoa, why are we talking about dying?" she continued. She had really hoped to find out the last piece of the puzzle, but this was not looking good. "I am just a seeker for knowledge."

"Do you have the data disc?" said the Neimoidian.

_Now I know which of our sources betrayed us_, thought Monikas. _Feel free to extricate us from this situation however you see fit. But not with the lightsaber or you will have to kill them all._

_Okay, I am going to shoot out that light and pull you back with the Force. Get ready to run. _Monikas felt herself being jerked back to him and then he spun and engaged the henchmen nearest their position. When he had stunned three of them, he called, _Run_! And they took off down the alley while the Neimoidian shouted, "Kill them! Kill them!"

They ran then and weaved in and out of alleys and hopped fences for ten or so minutes until they started to come to a more prosperous district where they stopped to catch their breath and then slipped into the night-shopping foot traffic.

"Are we finished for the night?" he asked.

_Yes we are_, she said. _Today was most fruitful and I am tired of walking. . My feet hurt._

_Well, if you are nice to me, I might be convinced to rub them for you_, he said, smirking. It would not be the first time he had done it.

_I will be fine, she said curtly. _ She led them along the shopping area, peering into shops and occasionally buying something. They kept it up for another half an hour until she came to an aircar dealership and strode in for a test drive. They left with a luxury model with a price that had Shemric sputtering when they flew away with a salesman in the back seat. After about fifteen minutes of flying, Julienne landed on a crowded hotel platform and then turned to the human in the back seat.

"My customers changed their minds," she said.

"My customers changed their minds," he repeated.

"I let them off in the Red Light District," she said.

"I let them out in the Red Light District," he repeated.

"I will return to work now," she said.

"I will return to work now," he repeated.

She strode in and used the exterior lock key she had picked up the previous day. An elevator took them to the 234th floor where she keyed them in with the card. Monikas kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bed. Her feet really were sore.

"So do I get to know what we accomplished today?" he asked when he put down his weapons.

"No," she said. "It is better you not know. The Emperor already wants to kill you. Let us not give him more reasons."

She could sense he was frowning again. _How safe are we here? _

_As safe as we are anywhere in the galaxy, she said. _

_Well, I am going to wedge the door and put out a couple of sensors, he said. _

_Your paranoia may keep you alive, she said. _

Monikas could sense the surface of Shemric's thoughts and knew he was worried for her. "I am sorry that I cannot be that person for you," she said. She did not want to share thoughts with him. His compassion for her was like putting her damaged soul over a hot flame; she could not keep sharing with him without some painful burning. "Things changed more than I expected after I was granted ascension. It seemed everyone felt the need to test me and if I defeated them once, they made up some excuse as to why it had happened and then came back and tried again. To avoid more challenges I had to be increasingly brutal. Many of them died and that angered their masters." She delivered it all in a voice without inflection as if it was something that had happened to someone else. "Then there were more and more direct action missions where people died. When other Sith Lords sent Force-sensitives against me, I learned to hide from them and strike without warning. When they sent non-Force users, they did not have a chance. I think that Darth Acina was surprised every time I returned."

"I … " Shemric began, but had nothing else to say.

"No, I have not even told you the worst of it," she said. "After the presentation to the Emperor, I began to fear that he may have sifted some of my memories out of the audience and begun to consider you a threat. Darth Acina began to question me about you much more often and it was clear she wanted to find you. I had already cut myself off from all feelings for you and pushed you far to the back of my mind, but now I had to bury you deep and pull my psychic shields in tighter and tighter to block out Ancina's queries or other Sith that were strong in that area. I did not share with anyone. I did not talk to anyone. I was completely alone.

"Then the assassinations began," she continued. "There were innocent casualties. Children. Families destroyed…" She shook her head. Thinking about them would lead to feeling and she could not do that.

Shemric rose and came to sit on the edge of the bed to take her hand but she pulled back from him. She knew he wanted to say something, do something to make it better so she quickly headed him off. "You cannot just fix this with a few tender touches and kind words, Shemric," she said. "I can remember the things we did together, but I simply cannot connect them to any emotion or feelings. My time with you feels like a box that I buried in the sand on the beach and then did not return to dig it up for so long that I forgot where it was hidden. I remember what was in it but I don't know how to find it. Becoming Darth Monikas … it became impossible to live in two worlds any longer. I had to commit."

She could feel the turmoil on the surface of his thoughts and he tried to reach across and take her hand again but she edged further away.

"You still don't understand, Shemric," she said. "You cannot share with me anymore. You cannot see the things I have done. I cannot bear for you to see what I have become. It does not matter that I did it to protect you. I failed. We are both marked by the Emperor and that means today or tomorrow or the next day, it will be over."

"If you are not going back, then we can flee and hide until we can work through this," he suggested quietly. "The Emperor is not omniscient or we would already be dead."

She shook her head. "Shemric, you still do not understand … " she began quietly.

"Then explain it to me!" he shouted.

He was angry but there was no point in shouting back or retaliating, as she might have once. She was beyond caring. "I will try. It is not just that I do not want you to see and experience the things that I have done. I do not think that I can _be_ the old Julienne and remember the things I have done and _feel_ again. Julienne and Monikas cannot co-exist without dying. They are simply too different."

Even in the that state of nothing, Monikas sensed Shemric's despair so strongly that she had to quickly cut off any connection with him and push away his thoughts. His anger was equally strong and she could not hold him out. "Shemric, shouting at me is not going to help." Something filled him then and it was … determination. "Shem … " she called out in a voice of rising warning.

What happened next surprised Monikas, both with its skill and its intensity. Using the connection they shared, he pushed himself into her mind past her shields and surged down the years of their memories together. She tried to push him away, but their relationship had been forged in love and blood with such strength that she could not.

_SHEMRIC! CEASE! _The attack should have blasted his mind but this version of Shemric was too strong and his love for her too intense. He pulled her into a memory and she saw…herself.

_"I am Julienne Qa, not girl," she said. The skinny Jedi across from her looked like he should be easily eliminated._

_"Well, manners, finally," he said and gave a slight bow. "And I am Shemric Norm. I am pleased to meet you Julienne Qa."_

_"Now you mock me," she said. Her master would be pleased when she eliminated this youngling. _

Forward.

_Every part of Julienne hurt and she lay with her eyes closed for a moment. Something touched her neck and she reached up and gripped his hand with a moan._

_"I …do not think … that went … very well," she said. She rolled off her side to look up at him. "How is it that you are alive and him dead? I saw you throw your blade and him blast you with lightning. That was silly. The throwing part." That seemed to exhaust her store of words._

_"He picked me up and asked if I wanted to be his new apprentice," said Shem. "He brought me in close and I killed him with a hidden knife from a wrist sheath." Julienne closed her eyes and blew out a deep breath._

_"So now I have you to thank for being alive … again," she said. "This is intolerable."_

_Shemric barked out laughter and staggered to sit down awkwardly. In truth, the boy did not look much better than Julienne felt. Then he said. "You still have to fly me off this planet. Then we will be even again."_

_"We will never be even," she groaned and tried to sit up. "You will keep getting me in trouble and then claiming you had to save me from it." Julienne nearly shivered at the words. They has just come to her, like some sort of prophecy, but she knew they would come true over and over. _

Forward.

_As Julienne walked down the long concourse to Shemric's shuttle she knew for a certainty that she was going to see this annoying Jedi again. She needed him to remember her fondly. Before he could say anything, she kissed him soundly like two lovers soon to be parted for a long separation. Had they been alone, she would never have risked it, but in a busy crowd, it seemed harmless enough. _

_She smirked at the surprised look on his face when she stepped back. "It has been a pleasure meeting you Shemric Norm. I am not sure this makes us quite even, but it is the best I can do for you in exchange for my life several times over." She was surprised to realize that it really had been a pleasure to meet him. His had been the first kind touch she had received since she had been ripped from her family. _

_"How about another kiss," he blurted. _

_She snorted at him but quickly re-engaged and kissed him more thoroughly than the first time. This time she used a subtle psionic suggestion to cement the memory in place; the next time they met he would be well pleased to see her. Then she gave him a shove. "Now go on, you incorrigible Jedi boy. And do not force me to cut off your parts the next time I see you."_

_"Like you could..." he teased. _

_STOP IT, SHEMRIC! I CANNOT DO THIS! Julienne cried in his mind. _

_NO! he called back. _Pushing against the strength of his determination was like trying to push away a building with your hands.

Forward.

_"You are a very nice boy," said Julienne. Shem looked up in surprise. Julienne was surprised to feel tears were flowing down her cheeks. "I am not a nice girl, you know. This will end badly." That she cared about his feelings at all was a very un-Sith like sensation. _

_"I assumed it would," he said, "from the first moment you walked in here. That only bothers me a little bit."_

_Julienne chuckled mirthlessly and lay her head down on his chest. He put his arms around her and she did not protest. _

Forward.

_When Shemric lowered all his psionic walls, she was unprepared for the way they flowed together so effortlessly. She looked out of his eyes at herself looking at him looking at herself … _

_She felt him start to sway as he was overwhelmed by it and she steadied him with her mind. The feel of him was extraordinary. His affection for her was like being washed over by a warm wave of water. It left her the mental equivalent of spluttering and choking on water. Julienne looked up from the bed and felt a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Why did you do that? she asked._

_I decided I did not care anymore if you knew everything."._

_She made a small 'oh' motion and covered her mouth with her hand. One tear snaked its way out the corner of her eye and down her cheek to leave a tiny runnel in her carefully crafted make-up. She dabbed at her face, smearing the eyeliner. She knew she was holding her breath but she was poised on the edge of a precipice. Or so it felt as she held herself back from Shemric's wave of emotion and affection. She stood quickly and suddenly gasped, before pulling in great lungfuls of breath. She dabbed at her make-up again and then decided she did not care. She strode over to him and kissed Shemric forcefully. When she pulled back she said, I do not care if you mess up my make-up._

STOP THIS, PLEASE, SHEMRIC, I AM BEGGING YOU! she cried. I _can't_ feel this again. The physical torture she had endured on Nar Kreeta was nothing compared to remembering who she was.

He moved forward mercilessly.

_She was waiting on a metal walkway about six meters above him. He looked small and ordinary there, down below. She felt him reach out to sense her in the Force. She masked her thoughts from him so that he could sense nothing but her determination. _

_After examining her for a time he finally spoke. "We do not have to do this."_

_"Of course we do," she whispered back. She had seen this and not understood what was coming. She had thought it would be someone send by Darth Acina. "This is the point toward which we were headed since the day we met. You knew ours was always going to be a tragedy." Other future visions she had seen conflicted with that statement, but she was not going to give him any edge. _

_"I hoped otherwise," he said._

_"Hope is foolish," she said and leaped off the platform to land a few paces from him. _

And again.

_When she turned back to Shemric, she examined his face and did not like what she found. His compassion was going to get them killed. In an instant she swung at his head. He refused to move and it was all she had in her to stop the blade millimeters from his forehead. He infuriated her "Why? What kind of person are you? To let your enemy inside your guard to kill you."_

_"__When did you become my enemy?" he asked._

_"__I am Sith; I have always been your enemy," she said. She had not lowered her arm and the buzzing of the blade was audible in the otherwise silent clearing._

_"__Really, then what are we doing here?" he asked. Her arm was straining from holding there as if she did not really know what she would do. _

_"__I am starting to wonder," she said and she hurled him across the clearing with a Force blast that sent him flailing. . _

And again.

_Julienne came to her feet slowly and barely got her blade up in time for his first attack. Instead of continuing he stepped back and whipped up the sand to disorient her and then went very small in the Force and rushed her. _

_His shoulder took her in the mid-section and she whoofed as the air left her lungs and he bore her to the ground and knocked her saber away. She tried to reverse his position, but she was not very strong and he quickly pinned her to ground as she struggled for air. When Shemric pulled his fist back, Julienne was sure he was going to strike her, but then he only struck the ground instead. He shoved himself off of her and looked down and her, an expression of disgust on his features. _

_Well, she thought, I made him angry enough to hurt me. Julienne was going to be sore and was not sure she ought to congratulate herself. Instead she said in his head, That is more like it._

_She sent him a sensation of satisfaction and that seemed to calm his nerves a bit. _

_That was unwise, he said. You could have been injured._

_And you do not think that I am? she asked in amusement. I am bruised and battered and I have sand in unmentionable places. _

_Have you had enough for tonight, or shall we go a second round? he asked. _

_The problem with provoking you is that you do not hold back at all, she said. She stood up and started to brush herself off. Do you remember the time we fought on Balmorra, at the end, when you came to me in the power station?_

_How would I ever forget? he said. It was about the worst day of my life._

_Shush, I was not finished yet. I meant to say, do you remember what I said to you during that fight about not giving me your best in training. I accused you of holding back so that you could defeat me later._

_Oh, I remember, he said. _

_That is what I need from you, she said. I need your very best. _

_Why? _

_Because I have to be better than the others, if I am to survive, she said. I cannot be just good enough. I have to crush them so they never try me again. No Sith will give that to me. _

_Shemric blew out a long breath and regarded her. He seemed to be considering her words and not just dismissing them out of hand. _

_"__I would do anything for you, Julienne Qa," he said quietly. "If that is what you need."_

_She sensed that he meant it and went to him and embraced him awkwardly in their armor. It went on for some time before she whispered in his ear. "I need all of you, Shem. Everything you can give."_

_"__Then I will try harder," he whispered back. _

She sensed that he was finished, but it was her turn to show him something. Something that might make him understand.

_Her shuttle left first and it reminded her a bit of the first time they had parted on Bonadan. Only, this time there would be no playful kisses. He did not even make a move to touch her. Finally, he blew out a breath and met her eyes. _

_Thanks for coming for me, he said. We beat the odds again. He seemed to be clenching his jaw so hard that she doubted he could have spoken aloud. Every so often his face spasmed in a frown and then appeared calm. Be well, Julienne Qa. I will miss you. He nodded then and swept past her all in a rush. _

_She nearly reached out a hand to him. She nearly called to him several times. But she did not. Instead, she pulled all her feelings for him deep inside and put them in a box. It was the only thing she could do to protect him. Their connection dwindled down to a small stream and she could sense his utter heartache take hold as it wound down to a trickle and then winked out. She gasped at the finality of it. She could not breathe. She had to be alone. _

_Julienne stormed toward her shuttle and demanded a private cabin for a few minutes. The terrified attendant stumbled trying to accommodate her. When the door closed behind her, Julienne folded up and lay on the small cushioned bench and began to sob. It was not something she had done since the day she had been ripped from her home and everything she knew. She had not thought she would ever feel that way again, but her connection to Shemric was severed and her emotions felt she had lost a limb. Oh, she could still sense his presence out there somewhere, but none of the affection, the humor, the unbending loyalty or the unrestrained love he gave to her could be felt. She was empty inside and all the sobbing in the world could not change that. _

_When Julienne Qa, Sith apprentice, emerged from the small cabin over an hour later, she was again herself; independent, willful, quick-thinking and dangerous. All vestiges of Shemric Norm were scoured from her heart. She would do what she must to survive or she would never see him again. _

His eyes were horrified but she saw that he began to understand. Not enough. She would not show him the killings and fights that she had survived. Perhaps she was afraid he would turn away then. Instead, she turned away and hit within her own mind. She closed off any pathways for him to follow and retreated deep into herself.

* * *

Monikas first felt something again as an insistent tugging. Something or someone was trying to drag her back into consciousness and she was having none of it. Unfortunately, in this little tug-of-war, she proved to be the weaker side.

She found herself sitting in a chair on the island where they so often retreated. It surprised her because this had been her mental construct, not his. He had used the things she had taught him to create it and pull her here.

_I suppose you think that you are very clever, Shemric Norm, she said._

_Not really, he admitted. Everything I learned about the mind and its relationship to the Living Force came from you. You have always been the clever one. _

_Well, then I taught you far too well if you were able to do what you did, she said. I am not even sure what you did do. Other than make me relive and refeel all those shared memories. Well, you had your way, even when I warned you. Now I am going to sit here on my island until my body wastes away and I get to move on to whatever … comes after. _

_No you are not, he said. You were never a quitter._

She finally opened her eyes and transformed from relaxed sunbather to angry Sith in an instant. _If you think you are going to goad me into coming back, then you are not as clever as you think! My cup of misery is all full and you just can't pour any more into it. So don't think you can anger me or manipulate me into returning. I am staying here and enjoying my island. _

She transformed back to sunbather and closed her eyes again. She was back in control of her own mind and it was not that hard to block out his thoughts. Or so she thought until he pushed his way in again.

_I will not say that I am sorry that I made you relive all of that, Julienne, he began. Those times were challenging and difficult but they shaped us and connected us. I would never have been able to force those shared memories on you if they had not _been shared_. I cannot understand what you have gone through since our last parting but it does not matter. We still have a thing to do together. Really, even that does not matter._

_Then why are you still talking! _she asked in irritation?

_Because I have not had my say, he replied. I am going to try to not bore you with a spiritual/metaphysical discussion about why things happen and our place in the galaxy and the Living Force. I am just going to tell you that I love you and wish you would come back. I know things look bleak, but that is nothing new to us. You and I, together, will always be something greater than you and I separate. Darth Monikas and Jedi Master Norm do not add up to more than Julienne and Shemric. The math of us versus the Emperor does not look favorable, but when has it ever made any sense? It won't, so let's stop complaining and get back to work._

His naiveté infuriated her. _That was sweet, said Julienne _and her tone was full of sarcasm and cynicism. _I am not sure if that was more or less annoying than having you lecture me would have been. _

_I can be more annoying if you want, he offered. _

She snorted and opened her eyes to regard him. _You are such an idiot. _

_That's the spirit, _he encouraged and then she laughed. Something happened in that moment and everything came back to her all at once. Had she been a physical being it would have turned her to ash. As it was, her soul felt like every nerve was being flayed. She swatted him out of the dream and started to scream. Settling back into her body was the worst thing she had ever felt. She lay on the bed and sobbed. _It hurts too much! I can't do this anymore. It is too much!_

Shemric wrapped her up physically and then settled his consciousness lightly onto hers. _You are not alone anymore, Julienne. That road is done. Let's go a different way. _

_It is not done until you understand, she said. _This time it was Shemric's turned to cringe as she pulled him into her memories. She made him watch and feel the assassinations. She made him experience the deaths and the complete isolation. She showed him the father and daughter lying at her feet, dead at her hands. She showed him the last expression on the face of a man who was about to be obliterated in his own house. She showed him everything that she was and spared nothing. She should have known he would be too weak to handle it.

Shemric's mind simply shut down.

Julienne screamed in the physical world and even thinking of the name Julienne caused her to feel pain. The pain came from everywhere and never seemed to end. She was angry that Shemric was not even strong enough to stay conscious to feel the things that she had been forced to feel.

However, like the waters from a broken dam, eventually the flood lessened and ceased. She lay on the bed and had to decide who she was. Would she be Julienne Qa or Darth Monikas? Was there a being that encompassed the two of them that could find a middle ground? She needed something … something to give her a clue.

The visions that came to her were all the more intense for their long absence. She was left gasping at the end, like she had just run herself into exhaustion. She should not have been surprised, the physical and mental well-being of any person were always tied tightly together.

She unwrapped herself from Shemric and decided she needed to fix his brain. Her memories had been too much for his soft, kind, loving soul and he might not be capable of finding his way back. It was not really his brain anyway; that was a physical thing. More properly she needed to fix his memories and mental connections. It took a while, but she psionically repaired the damage and then left him unconscious. She felt a seething anger at his presumption boiling just below the surface and speaking with him would not be pleasant for either of them. Besides, she needed him unconscious to do what needed to come next.

She kept him that way until she could deliver him to a man who paid good money on her word that he was a fighter. She cringed a little at the idea that she had just sold him to the Mandalorians, but that was what she had seen in the vision. Plus her anger was still there waiting. She had somewhere else to be and went and purchased a ship to leave Nar Shadda. When Shem finally came awake, he was panicked and so she answered his call as best she could.

_Julienne_!

_Relax, Shemric, it will be all right, _she responded quickly. He was just realizing that he was tied and gagged.

_Where are you, he asked quickly? _

_On my way out of the system. Do you remember how you left me unconscious and angry after Balmorra? Well, you are going to have to trust me on this one. Go to Mandalore and find allies. I will be doing the same and you will know when I need you again. _

He was stunned initially, but she felt him mind working until finally he asked, _Why Mandalore, he asked?_

_I have no idea, but I saw it in my dream last night. I am sorry. They do not know you are a Jedi and I would recommend you keep it that way. I will send your things back to your temple on Tython._

She cut off the connection and set a course for a quadrant of the galaxy she had never visited. Nathema was supposed to be the Emperor's home world. A name and a location were just about all that she had accomplished on Nar Shadda. Besides having Shemric torture her with her own memories and feelings. Well, it was only pain and pain was an old friend. When the stars lengthened and fled, she sat back and contemplated who she was going to be. That was not a question that would be easily answered.


	14. Chapter 14 Nubia

Nubia

Coming to the home of Shemric's family had occurred to Julienne when she had been pondering what to do. His stories of his mother made Julienne think that she might be a woman from whom one might receive some good advice. And she needed advice in droves.

Visiting the planet Nathema had been as horrible an experience as she ever wished to imagine. As a long-time Force user she was used to feeling those connections that made up her existence. She had learned to pull her Force-awareness tightly about her and not feel things around her, but those had only been temporary situations. When she had descended to the surface of the planet, it had felt like her Force-sensitivity had been wiped clean. There was _Nothing_. Monikas had no idea what sort of event might have happened to cause the scouring of the Force from an entire planet, but it might explain what the Emperor had become and the source of his power.

The complete wrongness of the place had reminded her too much of her own unfeeling soul before Shemric had pulled her back and she did not wish to sink back into that inevitable feeling that nothing she did would matter. Hopelessness had led her to that emotionless, empty soul that Shemric had found so repulsive. She had come to realize that path had been the easy way out, to stop feeling and just go through the motions, but if she did not feel the pain of the people she had killed or the lives she had shattered then their loss was meaningless. They had to have value and thus, she had to feel the pain of their loss.

She left Nathema more convinced than ever that the Emperor had to perish for the good of the Empire. The problem was, she still struggled with who she must be going forward. Julienne could feel but Monikas could do the things that needed to be done.

Which had led her to Nubia and the home of Shemric's family. It had not been hard to find them. It was only a little twist to get from Shem to the one's that connected to him. When she descended the aircar, she knew she was in the right place. Monikas sensed a very strong presence in the Force not far away and looked up at the house on the hill. It was rather far to actually meet someone's eyes at that distance, but there was definitely someone there and it felt like her eyes were on the black-robed figure that was standing in the road.

Monikas stood there staring up at the hill and wondered if this was a good idea. Shemric's mother was likely a very powerful and experienced Force-user and could decide she wanted to eliminate a source of pain to her son. No, that was not what she sensed from the woman above. There was curiosity, certainly, and … expectation, as if she had been awaiting a visitor. Monikas crossed the road, walked through the gap in the fence and began to ascend up the hill to the house. She purposely kept her hand off her lightsaber. When she approached to within a few meters of the porch, she looked up to see a woman who clearly resembled Shemric looking down at her with a slight smile on her face. Monikas was instantly jealous of the woman's self-assurance in the face of a Sith Lord walking up to her house.

"You look properly intimidating Julienne Qa," said the woman. "Or shall I call you Darth … "

"Monikas," she provided. She removed her hood and met the other woman's eyes.

"Ah, well, I would congratulate you, but I suspect that I would not approve of the things you had to do to achieve it," said Shem's mother.

The woman's eyes were kindly, but penetrating, and it was Darth Monikas who looked away first. There was accusation there, and many questions. She wondered again if this had been a good idea.

"I apologize for just walking up, ma'am, but calling ahead might have been dangerous," said Monikas. "It still may be, though I have gone to great lengths to conceal my journey here."

"I have taken precautions," said the other woman.

The only way the woman could have done so was if she had expected a visit. This might prove to be fruitful after all.

"Would you like to join me on the porch, Darth Monikas?" she asked. "I suspect we have much to discuss."

"Yes, please," said Monikas and wondered at her newfound courtesy. Then again, this was not a woman that would be intimidated.

When they were both seated, it was Shemric's mother who began the conversation.

"Please call me, Jorianne," she said. "I sense a great deal of turmoil in you, Darth Monikas. I would say it is unorthodox for a Sith to come to a former Jedi for advice, but the very nature of your relationship with Shemric practically defines unorthodox. So, you are either here to ask questions about Shemric or to ask for advice." She raised an eyebrow.

Despite having given this a great deal of thought, Monikas hesitated now that she was actually confronted with someone who might help. Help or advice would push her back into the fray and surely lead to more pain and suffering, if not a brutal death. Did she really want to have an answer that would lead her to that? Jorianne just sat looking at her patiently without speaking.

"Sometime around 18 months ago your son and I parted after having accomplished the task of destroying Darth Malgus," she began. Jorianne's eyes widened slightly. She had not heard this story, but she clearly knew the identity of the Sith Empire's most recently infamous Sith Lord. "For the success of my mission, I was granted ascension and became Darth Monikas. After leaving Shemric, I had to … suppress my feelings and memories of Shemric, both to protect him and to protect myself. New Sith Lords are constantly under threat from many sources until they establish themselves and their reputation. Apparently my reputation was thought to be somewhat overblown and so my 'testing' was constant and brutal. I also suspect that the Emperor gleaned more from our one encounter than I knew and so I became somewhat untrustworthy."

Monikas had waded through the emotion associated with that time when Shemric had forced her to reconnect to her feelings, but it was still very raw. She suddenly felt tears come to her eyes and cursed Shemric yet again for making her feel again. Jorianne's kindly face did not change, nor did she comment.

"I walled off my feelings from the outside world and became an island," said Monikas. "It was the only way to survive. The plot finally came to its head when I was sent on a spurious mission with the purpose of being captured in order to lure Shem there to be killed. He came, of course, and even more unlikely, he proved himself superior yet again and survived with a little help from me. However, it was not a pleasant reunion. I had lost all feeling for him. I simply could not reconnect to what we had been and frankly, did not want to do so. He would not let that stand and used our connection to make me relive our time together and the feelings associated with them. I did not die from it, but I was angry. I sent him off to Mandalore, ostensibly to find allies, but I sold him into the Pit." Monikas was sure this would bring some reaction, but Jorianne sat listening without comment. "I have been working since then to uncover what I can about how the Emperor might be destroyed, but I find the pressure has not changed and I am slowly making my way back to that island where none other is welcome. It is how I survive, but having somewhat reconnected to my feelings for Shemric, I am conflicted. I cannot shut him out and do what needs to be done, but if I do shut him out, this all seems so pointless. I cannot see a middle ground."

Jorianne looked at her and asked a simple question, "What do you want, Darth Monikas?"

The question was not groundbreaking, but it exploded into Monikas' consciousness like a thermal detonator. Her whole life, she had never been really asked what she wanted. Did she want to be with Shemric? Did she want to serve the Empire? Would destroying the Emperor best serve the Empire?

"NO, Monikas," said Jorianne interrupting her thoughts. "What do you WANT? I sense you consider many things but are incapable of choosing to want something for yourself. It is not so different than the way of the Jedi, to be the servants of all. Decide what you want and then you can survive anything."

"I want what you have," said Monikas. She was almost unaware of speaking the words and she wondered even then if she understood them. What did this woman have that she wanted? Dignity, certainly. Self-mastery, without a doubt. Except those things were not really what she wanted. She wanted the connection that this woman had to Shemric and clearly to many others. Monikas felt her essence in the Force and she was … bright. But that was not it either. It was hard to really pin down one sensation when you felt her because she was diverse. A woman. A wife. A mother. A warrior. A healer. A servant. Her essence had no beginning and ending because it flowed into all those around her to which she had made connections. And she did not seem weakened by it. On the contrary, she felt immensely strong. She had not lost herself in those attachments; the attachment had made her a giant.

Yes, that is what Julienne wanted. To be that kind of woman. A giant.

Using her old name, even in her own mind, left her gasping. Julienne was the woman who felt love and pain and heartache and could not be Darth Monikas. They were too different.

"You are wrong," said Jorianne. "Julienne and Monikas are both part of you. Separating them has made you vulnerable, not stronger. Be whole and find out what you were really meant to become." The woman was either an incredible guesser or gleaning much of Julienne's feelings and thoughts. When Shemric's mother reached across and took Julienne's hand, it was a shock to feel how strong their connection was through Shemric and now increased by physical contact. Julienne realized suddenly that she made up some of this woman's network of Force connections and that was why she had been able to find her so easily.

"You don't have to be alone, Julienne, but you have to make a choice to want this," said Jorianne.

Julienne felt along her connection to Shemric and through that to Shemric's mother. For the first time in twenty years she felt the sensation of love and compassion that her own mother had had for her before she died. It broke through the last wall of resistance, but also opened her to the pain of loss she had shut out since their separation. Julienne cried for her parents again and the pain of it nearly pushed her back to that unfeeling place until she felt that familiar comfort of a woman's arms around her and she laid her head on Jorianne's lap and sobbed.

* * *

It took some time for Julienne to wind down and when she finally sat up and wiped her nose, she snorted to herself. "I'll bet you never thought to have a Sith Lord come calling and then have a breakdown on your lap."

"Perhaps not, but I have birthed many babies and those women all want to tell me about their problems," said Jorianne. "Some even take my advice."

"Do you think I will be one of them?" asked Julienne.

"You already have," said Shem's mother. "I sensed a few memories of your parents. Let me guess; you have suppressed any grief for them since they were killed all those years ago for hiding you?"

Julienne nodded and wondered what other secrets she had shared while grieving. The woman was an accomplished psionic.

Jorianne laughed. "Not so good as you, I think, but your thoughts were very strong and we are connected very strongly through Shemric."

That made sense to Monikas.

"How did Shemric like your tattoo?" asked Jorianne.

Monikas traced the outline on her cheek unconsciously and looked in surprise at Jorianne. "He did not mention it. We did not talk much during out last meeting."

"Well, it looks properly scary if you are trying to intimidate someone, but you were quite pretty before you had it put there; it would be a shame to ruin such a lovely face," she said. "I can remove it if you ever change your mind."

"I am sure I will then," said Julienne. "But not yet. Darth Monikas needs to look the part until … " she trailed off. Until when?

"…until she doesn't," finished Jorianne.

That felt right to Julienne and Monikas. Maybe there was a chance she could be both of them. No, that was not what Jorianne had said. She had to be one person that encompassed both Julienne and Monikas. She had a feeling that was going to lead to a great deal of suffering.

"Suffering shapes us into what we are," said Jorianne. "Without conflict we stagnate. With opposition we grow stronger. So grow stronger and be who you want and who Shemric needs."

Julienne nodded and felt the change in her paradigm. She would suffer and that suffering would increase the triumph.

"And the joy," said Jorianne. "When you look back at your years, the joy will far outshine the suffering like the sun outshines the moon."

Julienne could already sense the strength of her connection to Jorianne and through her to Shemric's family.

"Is your husband going to be happy to have a Sith in his household?" she asked.

"No, but he will be more than happy to have Julienne Qa, a complete woman who is going to save the galaxy," said Jorianne. Her smile took away some of the seriousness of the statement.

"That is a lot of pressure to live up to," said Julienne.

"Well, it is a good thing you have the Norm family to help you out then, is it not?" said Jorianne.

Julienne laughed and in that laugh felt the dark pall that had been hovering over Darth Monikas disperse.


	15. Chapter 15 Plotting

Dromund Kaas

There was probably no more dangerous place in the galaxy for her right now than Kaas City, but Julienne knew she needed to meet with Nocturne.

"You are considered a rogue agent now and disloyal to the Empire," said Nocturne.

"Does that bother you?" she asked. It had been difficult to arrange another meeting with her Sith Lord accomplice, but she had still managed it. And he had come.

"It makes our task more difficult," he pointed out.

"It was going to happen eventually," she said. "Have you had any success in recruiting others?"

"Some," he said. "If even half of them actually answer the call when it comes, we might have a formidable force. I would still like to know what you are actually planning."

"A raid on the Citadel," she said. "While the Dark Council is in session. We need to have the Emperor there for sure and he needs to be goaded into staying else he will lose face in front of his own leaders. That may or may not be important, but this whole venture is fairly desperate anyway. Our allies need to be able to fight off the Dark Council and their minions while I engage the Emperor with my Jedi ally."

Nocturne's face looked highly skeptical. "And you are going to do what, exactly?"

This was the moment she had to reveal Shem's secret, but there was no avoiding it. Nocturne was not going to commit more resources and time without some hope of success.

"My friend has a unique Force ability that allows him to … repurpose raw Force energy. It is how we killed Malgus. And others. As a Force-users his abilities are fair at best, but you can't attack him with raw power or he just takes it in and feeds it back to you."

Nocturne was stationary for a time looking at her before finally nodding. "I've seen a video of the fight on Ord Janon. It is not very clear and from a great distance, but what you describe makes sense unless your 'friend' was extremely skilled at projecting Force lightning." The tall Sith again seemed to be considering their chances of survival. Even Monikas knew it was not very great odds, were one a gambler, but it seemed to be enough that Nocturne might agree. Finally, he nodded one more time.

"I don't like our chances overall, but I will prefer to die fighting than being absorbed in some crazed Force-ritual where I will have no chance to fight," he said. "I will proceed but the planning of the actual raid will fall under my purview. We will agree on a number and a method. Do you have other allies that will aid in our cause?"

"I expect that my ally will be able to persuade a force of Jedi to be part of the raid," she said. "And I have a few other ideas. I will cede the actual raid planning to you. It is well beyond my scope of experience anyway."

"Do your visions give you a range of time when this needs to take place?" he asked.

"Soon," she said. "I can't guess at a time, but the sense of urgency that I have felt of late, pushes me to move within the year. Sooner if we can manage it. I doubt that Shemric and I will be able to evade the Emperors assassins for an extended period of time." She started. She had never given Shem's name before and Nocturne had noted it. Well, it was done. If Nocturne chose to change his mind then she had nothing and would live out the remainder of her life as a fugitive.

"Soon then," he said. "Take care of yourself, Darth Monikas. This Shemric sounds like as good an opportunity as any to get the job done. Getting him into the council chamber is going to be the entire point of the raid and the rest of us are just supporting actors. I assume you would not have suggested this if he was not up to the challenge, so knowing that, I will proceed. I have to plan for the government that is going to take over when the Emperor is destroyed and that is going to be considerably more difficult to do than planning a raid." His laugh that followed was without mirth. "May the insane Gods of our Fathers preserve us. "

* * *

Bandomeer

Julienne sat back and tried to appear nonchalant as she surveyed the crowd and especially anyone knew that entered. there were more than a dozen Mandalorians that were here for drinks or business but she had a feeling that none of them was this Stryver that she was looking to meet. He had said she could wait for him here but been very vague about when and who. She was paying quite a bit to keep drinking water disguised as some smelly local spirit but so far she did not think he had arrived.

Instead of searching with her eyes, she reached out lightly with her mind and tried to sense if anyone there was trying to observe her. After a few moments she picked up on something and followed it to a Gektl that was sitting at the bar. They were a reptilian species and this one she thought might be a female. Or all the adults were female; she could not really remember.

Had she not been looking for it, she would not have been sure if it/she looked his way but it was the casual glance of someone trying not to make eye contact and now she was sure. Either it was an assassin, or it was Stryver and she needed to be prepared for both. Or for the Mando being an assassin and Stryver.

The next time her gaze passed overr her, she subtly suggested she come over and talk to her. It was the barest brush so that that he would not even realize it had come from her. A moment later she stood and looked around and then started walking over in Julienne's direction. Her walk was casual but it was a charade. This one smelled of danger and death. in her favor, she doubted the Mando would want to start a fight with a Sith without any armor.

The Mando sat across from her and scowled. "I know you did that," she began. "Did you kriffing Force-users ever consider that people don't like others messing in their heads?"

"It was a way to move this meeting along without bringing attention to ourselves," she replied. As such, I would say it worked. And I could not have done it to you if you were not already planning to come this way." The Mando who had yet to admit that she was a Mando did not appear to have been mollified at all by that explanation. She did not want to offend her but she also had no desire to sit in this bar any longer. This meeting had come about through a very odd set of circumstances and if she had not seen a vision where Mandos played a part in the attack on the Emperor's citadel, she would have feared a trap. Now she wanted to know how the Mando had found her. When she voiced this question, the Gektl gave her an odd look.

"I may have made the acquaintance of an associate of yours," she said. "A very annoying man named Shemric who had the bad form to defeat the Mandalorian Champion in the pit and then not stick around afterwards. However, he did mention you, if not by name, and so I have had my contacts on the lookout for you should you make an appearance. He told me a bit about your Emperor's plan to destroy the galaxy or some such."

"And why would you trust a Jedi that you were trying to kill?" asked Julienne.

"The Mandalore does not keep me as her champion just because I happen to be the best fighter under her governance," said Stryver. "That is how it began, but I have done much to earn her trust and she listens to my counsel to some extent. I have an extensive network of informants and others who I pay to help me help keep the Mandalore on top of current events. I sift a lot of information and have to make a judgment about its value. I tell you this so you will understand my role with the Mandalore." The Gektl stopped and took a drink of whatever she had brought over to the booth. "Your friend Shemric was persuasive. Not his words. His ... character." She stopped then and looked at Monikas as if that explained everything.

Julienne nearly smiled. Shemric had that ability to convince people that the things he said were true and without any use of the Force to influence their minds. She had no idea what would come of sending him to Mandalore but that was always how the visions worked. Blind faith in the will of the Force.

"You sound like an important asset Mandalore so I won't waste your time. I am looking for allies in an attempt to remove and destroy the Emperor. To do that we will have to conduct an assault on Dromund Kaas with a very high probability that very few , if any will survive. And the soldiers in question need to be comfortable with the idea of fighting powerful Sith Lords. Know anyone like that?"

She regarded Julienne for a long time before nodding. "I think I can help with that. I'm not sure the Mandalore will agree, but it would be better if she did. I'm not really sure how much I should even tell her in case she does not agree. She could cause a lot of problems for you should she choose. I can provide a Force of experienced troops that will be fine with fighting Sith even independent of the Mandalore, but that would be the end of being her champion. I intend to investigate this matter on my own, but from what I have gleaned so far, this is not politically motivate for you and that makes me think you may not be completely crazy. After all, what point is there in removing the Emperor if there is no benefit to yourself?"

Julienne sensed that Stryver phrased it as a rhetorical question, but really did want an answer. "I've seen Force-visions of the end of the galaxy. Or at least, I assume that was what I sensed. It felt very much like visiting the Emperor's home planet where he gained his power."

"I have been unable to verify that story," said Stryver.

"Nathema," said Julienne.

Stryver nodded and then stood. "I'll be in contact" she said and then left the bar.

Julienne pondered if this had been wise involving the Mandos, but she thought they would need plenty of assistance when the assault came. Having Mandos there would provide surprise in ways that Jedi would not. Assuming Shem would be able to persuade any of his fellow order. Darth Monikas finished her water, left payment and a tip and stood to leave herself. She did not sense any ill thoughts or an ambush, but she meandered randomly through the city until she was sure that she was not followed. It was time to get back to Coruscant. She had no idea why, but there it was.


	16. Chapter 16 Coruscant

Chapter 16

It felt very odd for Julienne to return to Coruscant.

She had spent extensive time here on one of her first assignments from Acina, but it had been some time since she had returned and she wondered why her visions had brought her back to the Republic's capital. She had only the vaguest sense that her master, Darth Acina, would find her here and try to kill her but she had also come for other reasons. A deft hand had managed to cover her facial tattoo so that her appearance would not be quite as memorable, but she was taking no chances. She landed her ship on an obscure platform, paid the fee and hoped it would not be stolen while she was about her work. It was not a reputable area.

Her first task was to ensure that her facial recogition program was still in place within the Coruscant law enforcement system. She let herself in a backdoor that she was very pleased to see stilll worked and then did a quick search using an unidentified photo of herself. When no results showed, she let out a relieved sigh and then closed down the connection. Anyone trying to track her down here would have to do it without the help of the law enforcement software that idetified everyone on the planet.

With that complete, she set about the second task of alerting her former master that she was on Coruscant. She was not sure why, but she supposed that it would be harder for Acina to eliminate her here, where the older Sith Lord had fewer assets. That meant Julienne had to locate and follow the man she suspected was Acina's newest eyes and ears in the Republic's most important city. She wanted him to report back to his master that he had seen her here and do so in such a way that it did not arouse suspicion.

Doing so proved to be much more difficult than she had anticipated. Perhaps he had other qualities as a field agent, but observation and counter surveilllance were not among them. Her more subtle attempts failed until she finally gave up and simply bumped into him rounding a corner. His eyes had widened in surprise and it had taken Julienne's best acting skills to beg his forgiveness for her clumsiness without being obvious that the encounter was contrived. He had been apologetic and rushed off quickly after the encounter, so the seed had been planted. She monitored his communication until she was sure he had sent a message and then turned to her next task; searching the destroyed Jedi Temple of all places.

* * *

It was not difficult to access the Jedi Temple grounds because there was no security at all and it had a reputation for being haunted by Sith ghosts now. She smiled at the thought of Sith ghosts inhabiting a structure that had been occupied by the enemy for thousands of years. Julienne made her way by feel until she was far enough inside that a light would not be noted from the outside. From there she simply followed her instincts and fragments of past visions to the place she had seen. It was undoubtedly a library, though not the main library. As she examined the markings on the walls and above the doors she suspected that she had been led to a more restricted area where the Jedi Council kept its own personal records.

When the Jedi had moved its base to Tython, they had left rather abruptly and that meant it was impossible to take everything with them. However, the Masters and Council had certainly taken everything from their private archives so the storage area she searched proved to be a waste of time. She closed her eyes for a moment and searched for some clue and yet, nothing came to her. She kept them closed for a time and tried to reach out in the Force and feel for something she _needed_.

And there it was.

She reached out in the dark and pushed sideways on a shelf. It gave slightly so she pushed harder and it slid roughly to the side. She smirked at the low-tech approach to hiding their treasures and then flicked on the flashlight to find an empty storage area for holocroms. A thorough search turned up nothing, however, so she hunched down for a moment and tried to sense why she was there. Having found nothing, she left the secret room and the library behind and started down a new hallway. At that moment she kicked something in the dark.

The object had slid over under an overturned box, which proved to be empty when she cast it aside. However, underneath was a small holocron that appeared quite ordinary. Julienne suppressed a moment of excitement. The randomness of her kicking it in the dark after having searched in vain was just the sort of lesson the Force tried to teach about persistence. She picked it up and shook her head. She certainly hoped it had something to offer in her current fight and was not just a manual about some obscure Jedi history, or some Master's personal journal. She also hoped it was not "locked" in some specific way that would prevent her from its viewing.

With the holocron in hand, she started to wander again as she felt for the Force nexus upon which the temple had been built. It was very strong and she walked until she ended up in what she assumed had been the Jedi Council chambers. She sat in one of the chairs that was arranged in a circle and was amused at the thought of the former occupants' reaction to a Sith Lord sitting in one of their positions.

Julienne set the holocron down in front of her and sank deep into a Force trance before testing the holocron and finding it was not locked after all. She proceeded to open it and the Jedi gatekeeper appeared. She nearly groaned when his clothing appeared ancient and his demeanor stern. She doubted very much that he was going to help her.

"I, Jedi Master Neilor address you, seeker of knowledge; state your need," said the tiny hologram man.

Julienne doubted that dissembling would aid her cause so she took a chance and replied honestly. "My name is Julienne Qa, but also, Darth Monikas. I seek aid in destroying the Sith Emperor who is slowly poisoning the Empire. My ally in this task is Jedi Knight Shemric Norm."

The Jedi gatekeeper peered at her carefully and Monikas felt as if she was being weighed and measured. She knew her request was unorthodox and doing so inside of a Jedi temple more odd still, but the Force vision had brought her to the temple and Force sensitivity to the place so that she could randomly kick the holocrom in the dark. She had no idea what the holocron contained or how it might help.

"Darth Monikas, your need must be great if it has brought you here to the temple in the capital of your enemies. I'm very curious how you came to possess my holocrom."

"A vision brought me here and following the whisperings of the Force put me in the place where I kicked your holocrom in the dark. I suspect you were dropped and never recovered in the Jedi's hasty departure from Coruscant."

The Jedi holo appeared distressed and shocked at this news.

"You found me on the floor?" he said.

"Indeed," she asserted. "I searched the Master's archive and found nothing, but then I kicked your cube as I was departing."

The holo Jedi seemed to digest this for a time. Not for the first time, Julienne remarked how creepy holocroms were. She felt like she was talking to a ghost.

Eventually the gatekeeper regarded her again. "I find this entire situation unconventional. However," he paused as surprised he was going to continue, "I sense there is much of import in all these odd happenings, so I ask you again; what is your more specific need?"

"I seek a way to destroy the Sith Emperor who has vast power he acquired by draining the life and the Force from an entire planet," she stated. There, see how he deals with that.

"For your personal gain?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said. "I have sensed the leeching affect he has on the planet he now inhabits and have seen visions that lead me to believe he will destroy the galaxy in a mad bid to attain god-like powers. I do not even know what information your holocrom contains."

Now the Jedi Master's image looked very troubled. This had to be the oddest conversation in which she had ever participated. When he finally spoke, her shock must have been evident.

"In life, I was the Jedi Order's most accomplished psionic," said Master Neilor. "This holocron contains my knowledge and training intended to teach the next generation of Jedi Knights and Masters."

Now a cold shiver did run over Monikas' skin. Was she going to need greater Force psionic skills to aid Shermic? Would this Jedi ghost even teach her?

"It concerns me to share my life's work with a Sith Lord," said Neilor. "None have accessed my holocrom for a very long time. The Jedi that followed me have clearly not been comfortable with the inner workings of the Force-sensitive mind. Have you the strength to even begin?"

"What must I do?" she asked.

"Touch, the physical structure of the crystal, Sith; I would see what you are," replied the Jedi Master.

Julienne sensed no malice from him, but if he started rummaging around in her mind he was likely to find things he did not like. She neither desired to share them nor wished to relive them. He was watching her sternly.

"Come," he said. "I sense your indecision. I also sense your need is great."

She slid from the chair and crouched on the floor before the crystal. He looked pleased, like a teacher who was finally going to be allowed to pass on his knowledge. She reached out and put a finger tip on the crystal base and the sifting began.

It was fortunate for Darth Monikas that there was no one around to hear her scream.

* * *

"Your psionic powers are formidable, Darth Monikas," said Master Neilor. Julienne was jerked back to consciousness so abruptly that her physical body flinched as her eyes stared widely. The small image of the Jedi master had grown to human size and he "sat" on the floor across from her. "I suspect under different circumstances you might have made a fine Jedi, Lord Monikas, but since we cannot understand all the ways of the Living Force, we must accept and continue as we can. I think you will need all that I can teach you in the coming days."

Julienne nodded and bowed from the waist. "I submit myself to your instruction, Master Neilor." When she looked up, he was smiling. She returned the smile and understood why the Force had brought her here.

"Touch the crystal again, Lord Monikas and let us begin," said the Jedi master.

* * *

When Julienne emerged from the temple six days later, it felt like she had developed an entirely new sense. The minds of the citizens of the Republic were an open book to her and she might have quickly become insane without the other teaching she had received to shut them out.

Two things became clear to her enhanced awareness. Shemric stood out to her along their Force connection and practically shone like a beacon. At the same time she knew that Acina had come. She had known she would have to confront her former master and intended to do it with Shemric's help. Just as quickly as those things came to her, she drew her Force-awareness in tight and hid away. Her body and mind were exhausted from the long hours of psionic training. During the days in the temple she had subsisted on energy cubes she had scrounged from abandoned supplies. She needed to replenish her body's strength before she was ready to fight. Julienne Qa, Darth Monikas disappeared into the mass of beings that inhabited the capital planet and began to plan.

_Come to me quickly, Shemric. I feel that I will have need of you soonest. _

Julienne had carefully prepared the ground and knew from her vision that the fight with Acina would take place on the platform where she had left her ship. She had picked the spot knowing Shemric was close and she called for him now, knowing he would come quickly.

She began to move through the crowd that surrounded her while monitoring his progress towards her. That he could find her even when she was hiding in the Force made it clear their connection was stronger than ever. When he came to join her as she strode down the walkway, she smiled inwardly and opened herself to him in a tight sending meant only for him.

_Your timing is exquisite, _she said.

_Then shall I assume we are in imminent danger, he asked?_

_That would be correct, _she said._ My former master, Darth Acina, has been hunting me and is very likely waiting next to my ship at the end of the platform. _

Shemric nodded and modified his stride slightly until they were stepping in sync. Julienne settled her consciousness onto his and nearly laughed at how pleased he was to sense that she was pleased to see him.

_You always seem to doubt my affection, she said._

_You sold me into slavery, my dear, he said. And you were not exactly affectionate before that. _Julienne sensed his eyes on her as he studied her from head to foot. She glanced sideways and raised an eyebrow. _You look very serious, Darth Monikas._

She chuckled and shook her head. _ I always wonder when you will finally accept that I _AM_ a Sith Lord. _

_Not like the others, he said._

_Perhaps not, she agreed. Now keep sharp. I sense others, though they do not seem to be Sith. _It was her turn to look him up and down. _Nice armor. Did you go native on Mandalore? _

He sniffed. His modified helmet left his face bare. N_o thanks to you abandoning me there._

_Don't' be angry, she said. It was for your own good._

_It was, he said. But I can still be angry about it. _

Before they started off again she 'suggested' he lend her one of his javelins and he did so with a calm look on his face. She doubted he even realized it had been her suggestion.

They approached the center of the platform where Darth Acina was waiting, shrouded in her robes and darkness. She was of moderate height but her strength of person did not come from her size but her position on the Dark Council and her power over the Dark Side. They stopped a distance away to regard each other.

"Well come, my former apprentice," she opened. "You have been busy in your treachery it appears."

"Loyalty to the Empire is not the same as loyalty to the Emperor," said Julienne. "I remain the former and not the latter."

"The Emperor is the Empire!" spit Ancina.

"And if he ceased to be, would the Empire disappear as well?" asked Julienne. Her master was probing her psychic defenses and Julienne could easily sense her strength. She also concealed her own strength for a time where she might need surprise.

Ancina's laugh held no humor. "So it is true. You do plot his downfall. You, who have met him and know what he is think to bring about his end. Fool!"

Julienne cast out her shared sense with Shemric. _Stay sharp! Something is definitely out there. _Ancina drew both her sabers that were protruding above her shoulders. The red blades glowed crimson in the near dark.

"I shall be well rewarded with your elimination and I thank you for bringing your pet Jedi as well. Why the Emperor considers him a threat is beyond me, but we can tidy that up all at once."

"You will find out why he is a threat, just as the Emperor will, someday," said Julienne.

"Oh, I doubt that," said Acina. "I brought a few friends myself." The night glowed bright for a moment as jet packs were ignited and four Mandos in full armor landed in a semi-circle to Shemric's left. "I did not want to discount the skills of the duo who rid the galaxy of that old hag Malgus, but these four have an especial dislike of Jedi. So it shall just be you and I, Julienne." Julienne ignited her weapon and the silver glow made Shemric smile.

_It is time to dance on the edge one more time, lover, _she sent to Shemric and then rushed Acina.

Julienne sensed the heat of multiple explosions behind her, but kept her focus on her former master. She clamped down on the small sense of unease she felt. After all, Darth Acina was a member of the Dark Council and powerful in her own right. She had also never practiced the lightsaber with her apprentice. She always carried two, but Monikas wondered how often she had used them. She could sense Shem dancing about, causing the Mandos fits bu she had no spare awareness to to worry about him now. She held her saber, the same that Shemric had made her years earlier, and prepared for the confrontation.

Darth Acina was shorter than Monikas by a good ten centimeters but her presence in the Force made her seem to loom. Monikas was in no rush to attack. If Shem could finish off the Mandos, they would take her together. It did not bother her that she might have to depend on him; it was like complaining that you had to depend on your left arm. Acina must have sensed something because she advanced suddenly and rushed Julienne.

The unique dual-purpose saber emitted a silvery blade when she ignited it; Julienne knew she would need every advantage if she was going to survive. The initial clash of sabers brought forth the familiar sparks and Acina jumped back and tried to cook Monikas with lightning. She caught it on the blade and it grounded out harmlessly. If anything, she felt like the Force energy was transferred to her. She reengaged her former master and put her best strength into it, backed by the odd kinetic properties of Shem's lightsaber design. Acina was again surprised and continued to retreat.

Monikas' confidence was growing until she was forced to dive instinctually to the side as she sensed blaster bolts coming her way. A before-unrevealed Mando appeared and continued to fire at her. She deflected as many bolts as possible back at him until Acina came at her again and she had to defend herself. _How many enemies were there_, she wondered?

Monikas had worn armor and was glad of it as the Mando hit her several times while trying to keep Acina away from her, but it was a fight she was going to lose quickly unless she could eliminate one or the other quickly. The psionic attack she had carefully planned proved to be both less powerful and more difficult to summon when you were fighting for your life. Nevertheless, she repelled at her former master with enough strength that Acina fell backwards with wide eyes. Acina's walls were strong enough to protect her from mind-wipe, but she was momentarily stunned; Monikas spun immediately and leaped at the Mando. She managed a strike that slid off the beskar armor but forced him to stagger awkwardly backwards.

She pressed her advantage until he desperately unleashed a wall of flame that forced Julienne to retreat. She flipped backwards and glanced quickly at Acina to see that she was just beginning to rise to her hands and knees. Julienne took the Force javelin in her hand and reached out to sense the Mando's flight path before hurling it with arm and Force-strength. He rose out of his own flames just in time for the javelin to impale him in the neck where there was a gap between his chest plate and his helmet. He fell to the platform and did not move.

Julienne turned back to meet her master in time to easily block a clumsy psionic attack. Acina retreated behind her own walls and rushed at her former apprentice. What she lacked in psionics, she more than made up for in brute force and Julienne was forced to retreat before the whirlwind double-bladed attack. It was jarring to feel such powerful blows coming from the tiny woman, but Julienne remembered the technique she had learned from Shem and began to deflect them in a variation on traditional Sorensu.

It helped, but she was still being pushed back until Shemric suddenly landed behind Acina and smacked her in the ribs with a bat. Acina's eyes were furious and she blasted him back from her, but the damage was done and it was Julienne's turn to advance.

Shemric's surprise attack had evened the fight, but Julienne could not summon the anger or focus to employ the all-out-attacking style that she had learned from him. She switched between forms, first attack and then defense and hoped to wear out her master, but it was not working. She needed something more.

"You could have been something if you had not strayed so far from the way," said Acina in a tight voice. "You were never truly a Lord of the Sith."

And there it was. After all her work, all her sacrifices, all the blood she had shed, even her peers did not accept that she was one of them. She had nearly given up Shemric to be a part of their cabal and they had never accepted her. _That_ made her angry.

Monikas could feel the older woman drawing heavily on Darkside power to fuel her attack and defense and she did not seem to be tiring, but it did not matter. Monikas had found what she needed for her own strength and she pounded back at her former master blow for blow. Then Acina coughed and there was blood on her pale lips. Her broken rib must have punctured a lung. Monikas reacted quickly with all her skill and brought into play the style of attacking they had practiced when Shem had forced her to try and finish him quickly. Acina was only just managing to defend before she leaped back and hurled one of her sabers at Julienne. It was a surprising move and caused the younger Sith to leap to the side.

Lightning crackled and caused Monikas' muscles to spasm, but she managed to bring up her blade and ground out the remainder of the attack. When she rolled to her feet, there was no sign of Acina. She rushed to the edge of the platform, but there was nothing. In her mind, she knew that Shemric had been successful and he joined her as she looked down into the dark.

"I am not sure if I would have defeated her on my own," she said. "She was quite powerful, though not particularly sharp in her combat skills. I think, when you hit her, you broke ribs and punctured a lung. It was enough to tip the fight in my favor." She shook her head. "Do you remember our very first fight against Darth Fright?"

"I thought our first fight was against each other," he pointed out.

"Fine; our first fight together against a Sith Lord," she said.

"Oh, I remember it," he said.

"Do you remember what I said?" she asked.

"Something to the effect of 'you are going to keep getting me in trouble and then keep claiming you had to save me from it,'" he replied.

"Well, I seem to have been right," she said. He opened his mouth to complain and she lifted her gaze and smiled at him. "It no longer bothers me." Julienne looked at Shem more closely and started. "Korriban's Nightmare, what happened to you?"

"You try and fight four Mandos and see if you come away with nothing worse than a bit of singeing," he said. She could sense his pain started to bleed through their link.

"No thanks," she said. "I was lucky enough against one angry Sith Lord and her Mando accomplice, and she still managed to escape."

"You know what kills me when I think about it," he said. "If you had not sent me to the Mandos in the first place, I would never have learned how to fight them and then this fight may have been a lot different."

"There is no point in pondering the whys and wherefores of our existence, you and I," said Julienne. "We simply move to the strings of our puppetmaster." Still, she thought, it was gratifying to know that she had gotten it right.

"You do not even sound bitter when you say that," he said.

She shrugged. "What is the point? I struggled against it in the beginning but that caused me even more grief." She turned away. "Let us leave, Shemric. This was the last of my business in this place and I have another appointment two days travel from here."

"Do you know why we keep winning at these fights?" he said as they walked to the ship's ramp.

"Do tell?" she said.

"We never left any witnesses, until now," he said. "So no one really knows what we can and have done. We remain anonymous and our enemies take us for granted."

She nodded, and knew that he was correct. "Maybe that has to do more with you than me," she said. "I have been challenged on numerous occasions and there are nearly always witnesses. And of course, Acina will likely find a way to report this to the Council without making it look like a failure on her part." She made her way to the cockpit and sat down at the controls. They lifted off quickly and arched away from the planet's surface. A stolen code granted them a swift departure and they were in space in a few minutes. As the stars turned into streaks of light, he asked where they were going.

_Mandalore, she said. _

_Well, that seems ironic, he said. Did not half of dozen of their fellows just try to kill us, along with your former master?_

_I didn't notice, she said _and turned to him, smiling. When she saw his burns she frowned. _Oh, yeah, those Mandalorians. Why don't we see if we can get you patched up? We may need to shave your head. Your helmet did not look like it helped much. _

_It kept my head from being torched, he pointed out. But then it caught on fire._

She led him back to the ship's infirmary and they both stripped out of their fighting gear. They had patched each other up a number of times and they went about it in a methodical fashion.

_You want a painkiller shot, or are you going to work your Force magic, she asked?_

_I will take a shot, he said. You look like you came out of the fight rather well._

He flinched when she poked his arm with the needle and she raised her eyebrow at him.

_You might have warned me, he groused. I do not like needles._

_You'ill get over it, she said. As for the other, I was expecting and preparing for Acina. I just figured she would come alone. I guess I should be flattered that she brought along help. She must have assumed I would have you with me, though how she could have known is beyond me. I guess our reputation unnerved her. _She ran a hand over his head carefully. _Are you going to need a moment to heal your burns? We will need to shave your head if anyone on Mandalore is going to take us seriously._

_I have not shaved my head since I was a new Padwan, he said. Is it better to have burns and look tough or to not have burns?_

She gave him a once-over. _Are they really bothering you? _

_They are burns, he said, _shrugging_, they hurt like the Nine Hells of Korriban._

_Don't use my curses, you sound silly, she said. Why don't you lie down and fix yourself. I would like to try and follow what you are doing. Maybe I will learn something. _

_Very well, he said. _Shemric lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

It turned out that psionic strength had little to do with the Force awareness used in healing because Julienne's sense of what was happening was no different than it had always been. Still, she was able to follow some of it and commented.

_So you really just accelerated what your body was already doing on its own, with the help of the Force._

_You can go a bit further when you are healing another, he pointed out. When you heal someone else, you have your strength, the Force and strength of the person being healed. On yourself, you only have two sources. Healing yourself too much would leave you so exhausted you would have to have considerable rest afterwards. You have to find the balance. _

_Well, I could sense much of what you were doing and probably apply the concept on a basic level, but it seemed … complex, she said. _

_You get better with practice and you can definitely develop an affinity for healing the same person, he said. That is why I can heal you so effectively. _

_Do not try it now, she said. I am fine, and now I know what to look for when you are working your Jedi sorcery. _

He sniffed pointedly but she smiled at him to let him know she was joking. Their connection made it hard to block out his feelings of affection for her and made it obvious he was overjoyed she was herself again. Or at least back to his image of what she should be.

_Oh, enough with your insufferable satisfaction, she said. You got what you wanted and I am back in the game. I am not sure you paid as much as I wanted during your Mandalorian time. I was really angry when I sent you off. _

_I get it, he said. I have been there before, after Balmorra. Of course, I did not drug you, tie you up and hand you over to the Wookies for sport. They would have loved a Sith toy._

She stared at him for long moments before responding. _I did not want to go back to any sort of life. I could have happily stayed on the island and avoided my problems, but you forced me back into the struggle. I tried to punish you by showing you what I had done and been, but you could not handle it. Your brain shut down and further contact might have turned you into a vegetable. _

_Well, we already knew you were tougher than I was, he pointed out. _

_Just as long as you remember that, weak-minded Jedi, _she replied. She sensed that Shemric was basking in her affection like a sunbather on a warm day. She rolled her eyes and headed off to find a refresher.

The captain's refresher turned out to be luxurious in the extreme. They emerged feeling clean, sanitized and nearly human again. When he reached for his pack and new clothes she gave him and incredulous look. "Really?" He turned and his eyes took on that glazed look that happened when she was not wearing anything. She pulled back the curtain on the captain's bunk and crooked a finger at him. It did not take a lot of persuasion for him to follow.

* * *

Julienne had to admit that she had missed the physical interaction with Shemric. She knew it was more than just sex, which came and went quickly, if spectacularly. Being able to lie together quietly, with nowhere to go and nowhere to be at the moment was incredibly restorative. With Shem it could not last long and she finally asked her why she had changed her mind.

_Changed my mind about what, she asked?_

_Well, you know, about being human again and not a soulless automan, _he said?

_I told you the last time, as you recall, that I had to put all my feelings for you in a box and hid them away, she said. I think it protected you from the Emperor, to a degree, and protected me from being torn apart by the things I had to do. When you forced me to see and _feel_ again I had to dig up that box and reevaluate it. Had I been a fool to associate with you? Would I be an idiot to do so again? I needed help and there was no one to provide it. _

After admitting that to him, she pondered when the decision had come to her that she wanted to speak to his mother. She needed to speak with someone and there had really never been anyone else. Finder Shem's family had not been too hard once she pulled on the string that connected them all in the Force. That had taken her to Nubia and an obscure home in the mountains. She had been very careful to lose anyone that might be searching for her so as to not endanger Shem's family, but the need to visit his mother had grown insistent.

_So what changed exactly, he asked gently?_

_Oh, I went to visit your mother._

"What?!" he said out loud in surprise. "How did you even know where to find her?"

_Really, Shemric, she replied? Do you think I could be so tightly connected to you and not be able to find those others with whom you are joined? It was not really that difficult. Even if you had not told me they were on Nubia._

Julienne smiled as she sensed the turmoil in his thoughts.

_Please tell me you did not show up on their doorstep dressed in black. _

_Actually, that is exactly what I did, she said. _It was impossible to think back on the nerve of it without smiling.

_How did that not end badly, then, he asked?_

_I am pretty sure your mother was expecting me, said Julienne. At least, she was sitting in a chair looking out to the road and met my eyes almost as soon as I descended from my hired vehicle. I am almost sure she had purposefully sent everyone else away in case things did not go well. _

_So, you just pulled up a chair and had a little chat, woman to woman, he asked?_

_Yes, said Julienne. That is pretty much what happened. _

_Did she like your Sith outfit, he asked with a snicker?_

_It is not my 'Sith outfit'," said Julienne. "It is the normal attire of Darth Monikas." _It was her turn to let out a small giggle. _She told me I looked properly intimidating. She has …a presence that I found very … impressive. I think she was prepared to fight or talk, depending on the reason I had come. _

_Wow, that would have been something to see, he said._

_Me fighting with your mother? Julienne sounded exasperated. _

_NO! said Shem. You _meeting_ my mother. I mean, she knew about you, but she cannot have imagined you would just show up one day. _

_On the contrary, said Julienne. I think I already pointed out that she was expecting me._

_Well, still, it would have been interesting to see, he said. _

_I can accommodate that, said Julienne. _They had shared memories before, but Julienne knew much better how to do it now and she easily joined her thoughts to Shemric's so that he saw the meeting out of her eyes.

Once he had seen the initial conversation, Julienne pulled back smoothly until Shem came back to his own thoughts. His face was covered in tears he had shed sympathetically with hers in the vision. He wiped his eyes and nose and she sensed he was embarrassed, so she said nothing.

"Does that mean that you have learned to be Julienne and Darth Monikas?" he asked.

_I have, she said. Your mother really showed me that Darth Monikas can be who she wants to be. If she wants to keep a Jedi yum-yum on the side then she can do that, too. _

Shemric sniffed pointedly. _Did you not tell me once that yum-yum was a sexist term that did not apply to men? _

_Hah! We make up our own rules now, Shemric, she said. The entire trip was most enlightening. After meeting your baby sister I find myself considering having one or two of them with you at some point in the future. _

_Wait, you met the rest of the family, he asked? You want to have children now?_

_No, I said later, not now, and yes, I met the rest of the family, she said. We had a lovely visit. Your brother Marioh was scarily impressed that his big bro' is married to a Sith Lord. Your father was not so enthusiastic, but I used a winning smile and your mother's approval to win him over. _

Julienne was amused by Shem's wondering expression. She could sense it was difficult for him to imagine.

_Did they get a picture of you holding the baby wearing your Sith robes? I would pay money for that. _

_Funny that you should ask, said Julienne. I actually think your mother did take a few pictures. She showed me how to sooth a child using Force techniques. After that, Eliahza thought I was at her service whenever I sat down. She thought my facial tattoo was particularly intriguing and kept touching it with her little fingers. _

_And you let her in your personal space, he wondered?_

_It was strange, she admitted, but then you get used to it and you can't help but enjoy the exuberance of their little spirits. The others were interesting. I only saw Shaliah on the second to last day. She had flown in from the capital, probably at your mother's prompting. By then your mother had provided me with something other than black Sith robes and armor, so I probably seemed a lot more normal to her. She was kind to me and asked about you. They all asked about you and wanted to know if we were having amazing adventures. I told them a few things. _It was hard for Julienne not to take great pleasure in the memories. Immersing herself in Shem's family had cured any number of ills in her. _They all want to imagine their big brother is a grand hero, so I tried not to disappoint. Marioh tried not to act scared when he first met me, but you could see he was somewhere between thrilled and terrified. Once he saw me holding the baby, I think he softened a bit. Then he wanted me to train him to be a Sith. Your father was not amused. _

_I can imagine not, said Shem. _

_He still wanted me to help him train whenever I sat down and looked like I was not busy, she said. He is pretty good with a lightsaber. We went up into the hills behind the house and I would sneak up on him and try to surprise him. You father was a little concerned with how effectively I could hide from all of them until I told him that you had taught it too me. _

_I did not teach it to you, said Shem. I just came up with an idea to make it useful in training. _

_It made them feel better, she said. _

_And how was Nina, and my father, asked Shem?_

_I don't think your mother warned him that I was coming, said Julienne. I think she created a reason for them not to be at the house and then assured them all was well when they came home and I was there. Your father scowled at your mother something fierce but did not say anything in front of the others. It did not take much for him to guess who I was. I think he warmed up after he talked with your mother. And saw me holding the baby. _

_Nina, though, she does not speak much, said Julienne. I think she was comfortable to have me around and would ask a question or two, but for the most part she was content to have me there, a connection to you. _

_I have not gone to see them for some time, he said. _

_I doubt now would be a good time either, said Julienne. Things are not safe in the galaxy for you and me. _

_And are they in danger, he asked? _

_This was months ago, Shemric, she said. And they told me they would take precautions. _

_So tell me again why we are going to Mandalore, he asked?_

_We are actually meeting with The Mandalore, said Julienne._

Shemric started. "How did you manage to arrange that?"

_Actually, it was you that 'arranged it', so to speak, she said. I came in contact with the Mandalorian champion, Dao Stryver. She seemed to have some familiarity with you. _

_She?! What? Shem asked, confused. _

Julienne smiled. Clearly Shem had not seen anything under the helmet. _You did not know he was not a he, but a she? Well, she is not human either, so it could not have been easy to tell. She is a Geckto. _

Shemric nodded.

_Stryver actually found me and we discussed an alliance with Mandalore against the Emperor. Apparently she has spent some time since meeting you trying to nail down a few rumors and she believes he needs to be eliminated. I am not sure how the Mandalore feels about it, but we are going in under cover of armor and Stryver tells me that she will plead our cause with her boss. _

_And what sort of exit strategy do you have if that does not go well, he asked?_

_I am trusting Stryver, she said. _

_And is that wise, he asked?_

_I don't think she was trying to deceive me, said Julienne. _

_That is a big reach, he said. Fighting our way off Mandalore will be an entire new exercise in futility. _

_Well, then, it is good that you are with me, she pointed out. _

_Your faith in me is inspiring, but it may not be enough against a planet of madmen, he replied. _

_You worry too much, she said. I'll do the worrying. You can maintain the optimistic outlook. _

_Well, at least I am good for something, he said sourly. Even it if it does not include knowing the plan. _

Julienne poked him in the ribs. _When you can keep a secret better, then you can know the plan. _Shem did not seem at all pleased by being kept in the dark, but it was necessary.

_So, basically never, he replied. _

_Deception and subterfuge are not really your strength, Shemric, she said. You are just going to have to trust your 'yummers.' _

Shemric sulked in silence until he asked her why she was taking him with her to Mandalore is he was such a liability in her plans.

_Don't put words in my mouth, she chided him. I never said you were a liability. When I need to be Darth Monikas then it would be very difficult for you to accept some of the things that I do. When I need to meet up with the Mandalore on a 'planet full of madmen' then I need you will me in case things go bad. I told you I trust Stryver, but make no mistake, she is in this for her own reasons and I doubt they are the ones that we have. Going there is a risk, but taking you with me is the best and frankly, only way to mitigate that risk. Now stop thinking about it and go to sleep. I have a plan. It will be well. _

She backed that verbal suggestion with a mental one that quickly made Shemric forget about Mandalore and fall off to sleep. It was the way that she managed to win most of their arguments. Sleep was much harder for her to find however. She did have serious doubts about Stryver. The Mando had resisted her mind-probing and the alien thoughts had been difficult to decipher. It was definitely going to be a risk going alone to Mandalore, but they need more allies.

When she had stewed on it long enough, she followed Shem's consciousness deeply enough to sense his peace and relaxation and slipped into sleep as well.


	17. Chapter 17 Outer Rim

Chapter 17 Outer Rim

The trip to Mandalore turned out to be every bit the disaster that Shem had warned her it might be. After a complex mess of ship transfers and other subterfuge, they had finally managed to meet with the Mandalore and were immediately shut down. From the first request for aid, it had been apparent the Emperor had reached out and suborned the Mandalorians to his cause. Again, Shem had proven vital in their escape, but the Mandalorian champion Stryver had actually been the one who helped them escape the planet against the wishes of her leader.

Stryver promised future aid and they parted with plans to meet again. In the meantime, Julienne wanted to lie low and set a course for the Outer Rim as soon as they could make a jump.

In the end, they chose an out of the way planet named Dagobah for the cover and security it would provide. Oddly, both of them had looked at the planetary conditions without enthusiasm but agreed that there was something there they needed to do there. Because of the violent storms on the surface, there was not much to be seen from space, but what could be seen was a dark green color interspersed with the blue of water. Julienne entered the atmosphere slowly and neither of them spoke as she steered through the lightning charged skies and tried to find a place to set down. She eventually found a clearing large enough for their ship and landed carefully. They did not so much set down as settle in to the soft ground.

_Why did you choose this place to land, asked Shemric? _

_I don't know, she said. I was just going off feelings. Something about this place is … _She did not finish her sentence. Whatever she had sensed was vague enough that it made her awkward trying to put it into words.

_Yeah, he agreed, _as if that explained everything.

They left the ship cautiously, sabers in hand and walked about to see if the ground was going to hold.

_I do not think we are sinking anymore, said Shemric. This probably passes for solid ground around here. _

_Lovely, she replied. _

Though it was dark and misty, Julienne could sense that the plentiful water had created a world teeming with life and growth.

_The Force is strong in this place, commented Julienne. _

_There is a great deal of flora and fauna here, said Shem. It follows that such an abundance of life would have a very strong Force supply. It will be very hard to notice us here, even if we were flinging the Force about indiscriminately. _

_It is a little creepy, said Julienne._

_That is funny coming from a Sith Lord, said Shem. _

_It reminds me too much of Dromund Kaas, our capital. The lighting in the skies, the jungle… only this place does not feel quite so steeped in Darkside power as there and the overcast is not from polution._

_I think we both felt like we should come here, he commented, so there must be a reason. _

_Probably, she agreed, but are we going to like the reason?_

* * *

Dagobah turned out to be every bit as bad as the star charts had described it. The humidity was so near 100 percent that as soon as they went outside, they were soaked from the inside out. That is if it was not raining and you got soaked from the outside in. When you added in the unfriendly forest denizens, the nearly-always treacherous footing, and the perpetual gloom, it seemed to be the planet least likely to make anyone stay for long.

In other words, it was perfect for a renegade Sith Lord and a Jedi Master looking to hide.

They went out in the muck twice a day to train and though nothing else resembled their time on Zeltros, the affect was the same. They tested and tried each other over and over until they would return exhausted and grimy. Fortunately, since water was not an issue, they were able to take actual hot showers for as long as they wanted. It was a consolation prize for winning a no-expenses trip to such an unpleasant place.

Julinne refused to answer Shemric when he asked how long they were staying; the first time he had done so, she had given him a direct look and told him she would know when it was time. When he had asked again a few days later, she simply ignored him. The Emperor's resources were great but not infinite and he could not keep looking for them forever without disrupting other Imperial activities.

After a few days of training, Julienne had slipped back into the role of trainee and Shemric the tutor. He had clearly spent a lot of time training on Tython and his skills were as sharp as ever. She eventually asked him if he had learned any new tricks during their time apart. As usual, he did not disappoint. He described something that Grand Master Shan had been teaching him.

"Do you remember the time when I caught your lightsaber in my hands?" Shem asked. When she nodded, he went on. "The time it happened was a creation of pure instinct for me. I had no idea what I was doing, but when I mentioned it to Grand Master Shan, she said it was a thing she had also done once, against Darth Malgus actually, when they fought on Alderaan. It is formed like a Force-shield but it is attuned to the elements of a lightsaber. While the science of it went over my head, you basically have to generate a containment field similar to the lightsaber itself so that the plasma flows back to the emitter, instead of continuing through your hand or body."

They had spent a good deal of time learning to create the shield and then practiced with a training blade. Shem shook his head at how fast she had mastered the technique and even exceeded him. She shrugged it off. _Hopefully I don't come up against other saber users without my own, she said. But now, if I do… _she left the thought hanging.

When they had been on Dagobah for a week, Julienne woke before Shem and went to the ship's hold to meditate. When Shem came looking for her, he did not disturb her but sat down and joined her without speaking. She had closed off their connection and tried to tune into whatever it was she seemed to be sensing. Something out there was calling her like an emergency beacon and the sensation had been growing in her mind during the past few days. She finally decided they needed to take a trip, which she was sure Shemric would oppose. He did not like being wet and cold.

When he opened his eyes, she gave him her most winning smile. "Good morning, Shemric, did you sleep well after last night's vigorous activities," she greeted him with a hint of teasing. Several nights ago she had informed him that she was resuming her official yum-yum duties and had an entire cabin in her ship devoted to that purpose. As usual, talking about their nocturnal activities embarrassed him and his face turned red. Sometimes keeping Shem occupied with intimate relations kept his mind off of asking too many questions. "We are going on a little expedition today," she said. "Maybe overnight."

Shem groaned. "Are you providing the camping gear?" he asked.

"We are taking minimal gear," she said. "A small, elevated tent to keep us off the wet ground."

"Sounds lovely," he said, rising. "I will pack my stuff." His acquiescence surprised her and she had to recompose her face. Shem walked away without arguing, which seemed ominous to her. When he met her at the ship's ramp, she questioned him about his unusual obedience.

_What are you playing at, Shemric Norm, she asked? This non-questioning version of you is not normal. _

_Why argue when I always lose or end up giving in, he asked? If my yummers wants to spend the day tramping through the bogs, getting soaked and trying to avoid dragonsnakes, quick-mud, swamp slugs and other fauna we have yet to discover—well, who am I to argue? _He punctuated his speech by pulling his rain hood over his head and hitting the lock mechanism for the ramp. _Shall we? _He trudged off down the ramp and, of course, it was raining.

_If you are going to be bad company the whole time, I am just going to leave you here, she said. _She had followed him down the ramp a few moments later after donning her own rain poncho. She could sense that he was more disgruntled than angry.

_Who said I was going to be bad company, he said? I get to spend a lovely day on this paradise planet with my yum-yum. After years of being alone, I really do not care what we do or where we go as long as you do not tell me to leave. _His first step sunk up to his ankle and he scowled and extricated himself.

_You know what I find a little disturbing, she asked? _

_Tell me, he said. _

_After your initial sarcasm about this 'paradise planet,' you sounded perfectly sincere, she said. Are you well?_

He snorted loudly and a nearby bogwing started and flew away screeching overhead.

_I was sincere, silly woman, he said. If I have to go hiking in the mud to stay with you, then hiking it is. _Shem was currently balancing along a moss-slimy log as they crossed a fair-sized stream. It was almost large enough for a dragonsnake, but she did not sense any nearby for now.

What really surprised Julienne, was that Shem was heading in the exact direction that she had intended to travel, towards whatever it was that she had been sensing during her meditation. It was almost like his subconscious mind was leading him where they needed to go. When he had been leading for the better part of half an hour, she finally asked him where he was going.

Shem blinked away a raindrop and stopped dead. _I am sorry. I just sort of … well, felt like going this way. _

_Well, keep on going, she urged. _She was curious to see if he would continue on the same heading.

_What do you mean, he asked? This is your expedition. _

_But you seem to know right where I want to go, so I am happy to follow you, she said. _

Shemric took a few steps back to her and lifted her hood so he could see her face._ Are you making fun of me? _

_I'm serious, she said! You are going in the right direction. _She smiled at him again and sent him a feeling of confidence, but he did not seem to be buying it.

_I am not even sure _where_ we are going, he said!_

_Apparently, we are both listening to the same Force-whisperings, she said. _She leaned in and gave him a very wet kiss. _Lead on my intrepid explorer. _

_Now you are making fun of me, he said. _

_Maybe a little, she said. _But she waited for him to take the lead again. He shook his head and continued to wander through the fog.

_So how are we going to get back, he asked?_

_I brought a tracker with me, said Julienne. _

_Good, because I have no desire to go native on this planet, said Shem. _

Shem continued to trudge along through the rain and his sense of displeasure seemed to lesson as his curiosity took over. She continued to send him a flow of confidence and affection and he took it in and reveled in it.

_You are such a drama queen, said Julienne. You act like the galaxy would not go on if I was not in the center of it. _

_Maybe someday you will grow up and understand, said Shemric. _He smiled to himself, knowing that would irritate her.

It did irritate her, and she wanted to slap him, but that would not take away the feeling she had that he was completely content as long as he was with her. She did not think she felt that way about him. It made her wonder if the level of affection they showed each other was unbalanced and would create problems in the future. Or maybe she just had a lot more on her mind. He had joked and sulked about him being her tool, so maybe the tool could more easily be content as a tool; the hand that held the tool had to be more and that made it hard for Julienne to feel such contentment.

After perhaps four hours of walking, they stopped for some lunch when they found cover from a particularly harsh downpour. Several trees had grown together and formed a canopy overhead that only let a few drips through, so Shem actually took off his boots, wrung out his socks and situated a new chemical warming agent in the insoles. Julienne's was happy to have her synthetic-hide boots that were a lot better for the climate than what Shemric had available, plus they went all the way up to her knees.

_So when are you going to stop being so secretive and tell me what this is about, asked Shem? _The rain was really coming down in buckets and it was hard to hear much of anything.

_Why don't you tell me, she said. All I said was that we were going on an expedition and then you walked off in a huff, right in the direction I intended to go. You are still heading right for the place I sensed earlier. _

_I suspect we are headed for a Force nexus, he said. _

Julienne gave him a shrewd look and nodded. _I wondered if I was imagining it. _

_What do you intend to do there, he asked? _

_Look for answers, she replied. _

When the rain died down, they headed off again and Shemric commented that they had covered a good third of the distance already, which meant they were not going to reach it by 'nightfall." Night in the overcast jungle was almost entirely black and she Shemric's lack of desire to attempt to move about with no light. As they continued on, he started looking for likely places to set up their tent and as such, suggested a spot to stop before it became too dark.

_I think we are still two or three hours away from the nexus, he said. Why don't we stop and set up camp. _He eventually picked a low hill with tree cover that looked mostly dry. She helped him set up the tent/cot and told him she had brought along something for a fire.

_Don't you think that will draw too many curious critters, he asked? _

_I don't care, she said. We are camping and I am going to have a campfire. _

Which is how they found themselves sitting in the opening of the tent some time later, warming their hands and feet over the fire log.

_Do you think the nexus drew you here on purpose, asked Shem?_

_I hardly believe in coincidence anymore, she said. Things happen for a reason around us. Just imagine if I had been scarred and unattractive when we met. Do you think we would be here now? Or if you had a thing for blondes? _

Shem refused to answer her questions and took the conversation in a different direction.

_Perhaps the Emperor is a great imbalance and seeks to further skew the problem with his crazy rite to absorb all the galaxy's energy, said Shemric. The galaxy seeks balance by having us destroy him. And something, here, will guide to that task. _

_Perhaps, she said. Let's just enjoy the fire and then go to bed. _

After another half-hour or so of companionly silence, Shem created a Force-sheild around the log and deprived it of oxygen until the flame died. They crawled into their sleeping tubes and lay with their foreheads touching until Julienne pulled them both down into sleep.

* * *

The rest of the trip the next day was uneventful, but as they neared the nexus, Shem's sense of foreboding increased until he was very uncomfortable. Julienne could sense even he was having flashes of Force-vision that came and went quickly. Fortunately for Julienne, her new-found psionic skills protected her. When they finally reached the nexus, it was centered around an enormous gnarltree that sat in the middle of a clearing that was uncannily round.

It looked like it was a growth of several gnarltrees that all intertwined over hundreds and hundreds of years. She could feel how nervous Shem was, standing there on the edge of the clearing. He did not want to go any nearer.

_I want you to stay outside, Shemric, she said suddenly. I think I need to go in alone. _

_What?! Are you kidding?! _

_I am not, she said calmly. I can sense the Force timestream here more strongly than anywhere since I stood in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban. That place nearly drove me mad. _

_Then why are we here, he asked quickly? _

_Because the Valley on Korriban was the final resting place of many Dark Masters of the Force and most of them are nearly mad by the time they pass on, Julienne explained. It was a Dark Nexus. This is not that. It is just very powerful. Please, she said. _She could certainly feel something pressing in on her mental walls, trying to reach her mind. She could not protect Shem and open herself to the future visions at the same time.

Shemric nodded and she offered a different option.

_If you want to follow me, then rest lightly on my consciousness.. Look out of my eyes. I am not sure if you will see what I see, but … _She shrugged and removed her poncho and pack, which Shemric took and walked back to the edge of the clearing to the closest cover. He found a small root and sat down to close his eyes. In a moment he was looking out of Julienne's eyes as she made her way carefully through the roots of the tree and down into the cave. Instead of getting darker, it became lighter and the cave walls became more visible. It looked like the walls of a fortress, which made no sense at all. Julienne sucked in a breath. She had lowered her psionic walls and now the future visons were cycling through the back of her mind faster than she could track. At the same time the light continued to increase and it became evident from the reddish tinge that it emanated from a red lightsaber just out of sight. When the Sith came into view he or she wore an armored mask and approached Julienne warily.

"Well, woman, you have come to the end of your road," came a man's voice. "All your years of scheming and it goes for not. I am the Emperor's tool now and when you are dead I will go and destroy the Jedi in their own temple."

"I will not fight you," she said. She knew it was not real, but the sense of who she was facing was so close to Shemric's own aura it was horrifying; horrifying because it was how she imagined Shem would feel if he was immersed in Darkside power and wholly lost.

The not-Shem laughed and attacked her and Julienne held up a hand and caught his blade in her fingers. Energy crackled and she sent lightning into his body until it convulsed and then collapsed. The previously-ominous figure fell on his back and did not move. Julienne bent over and put her hand on the mask.

"Oh, dear Shemric, this was not how things were supposed to go," she said. When she removed the mask, it was Shemric's face, though it wore a malevolent expression that it had never had before the assault on the Emperor's citadel. Julienne's thoughts churned. The attack on the citadel had not yet taken place. She needed to keep a clear mind and keeping Shem with her was not helping.

_That is enough, Shemric, wait for me until I come, said Julienne. _She cast his consciousness from her and back into his own body. She sensed he stood and would have followed her but she used the subtlest of suggestions to make him return to his seat. The tree was no place for him and he knew it.

* * *

Julienne stood in the center of the nexus and cast her mind upon the timestream. The first vision of Shemric had been only one possible future, of Shemric suborned by the Emperor's power and turned against the rest of the galaxy as Revan and Malak had been hundreds of years earlier. But there were more. Julienne watched herself die. Watched Shemric die. Saw them succeed. Saw them fail. Saw them living happily with children surrounding them and laughing and feeling such joy that Julienne knew tears were streaming down her face. Saw the galaxy a dried out husk as the thing previously known as the Emperor rampaged across the universe. To a normal person, even a Jedi, it would have produced madness, but Darth Monikas had been swimming in the cosmic timestream since she was a small girl, though she had not recognized it at the time. Since that time she had used it to make all her important decisions. She never guessed.

The power of the nexus increased the clarity of the visions but also the frequency, so that she could never remember them all. At best, something would spark a memory at the moment of decision and she would know what to do. Like Shemric had once done, she tried to latch onto a positive future; a future that assured the continuation of life in the galaxy and happiness for Julienne. The threads remained as slippery as ever and she howled in the swirling maelstrom of possibility.

ENOUGH!

This voice in her mind was unfamiliar but also unforgiving and she cringed back from it.

YOUR MORTAL MIND CANNOT BEAR THIS, SMALL ONE. GO BACK AND BE SATISFIED. YOU ARE MEANT TO STRUGGLE AND LEARN WITHOUT TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUTURE. DEPART!

Julienne stumbled away, unaware of the direction she was taking, but in a moment familiar arms encompassed her and she collapsed, physically exhausted from the flow of Force visions she had endured.

* * *

Julienne should not have been surprised that she 'awakened' on her island construct that had often been an anchor for her unconscious mind. She was sitting in a chair on the beach. She looked about and there was no sign of Shemric. After few moments of mental relaxation, she tried to shift out of the dream and found she could not. Further examination showed that her mind was still reeling from the visions and there were so many portents and so much information she had no idea how to fix it, even with the increased knowledge provided for her by Master's Neilor's psionic training.

Julienne sat back on her chair and relaxed. She would wake when she could wake.

When Julienne next moved, she had no idea where she was other than in a sleep tube. In the ship. Her stomach rumbled and her first though to Shemric was for food. _Did I just have a horrible dream? _

She heard Shem let out a cry and soon he rushed into their sleeping quarters. Julienne sat up feeling groggy.. When Shem leaped on the bed and tried to squeeze her she protested.

_What are you doing? I am just waking up in the morning. _

_You have been asleep for five days, Julienne, he countered. _

_What? Really? _Obviously time was meaningless on the island but that was an unnaturally long sleep. What had happened in her brain. I_ remember hiking to the tree, she said. That is all. _

_I am guessing you regret your decision to visit the Force-nexus, he said. _

She shook her head. _I have no idea what even happened. _The look on his face was surprised. _Something bad? _

_Yeah, if you call frying me with Force-lightning bad, he said. _

_Well, that won't do, she said. Show me. _She groaned as she tried to move and looked at the IV line attached to her arm. _Can I get some real food first?_

Shem headed off to the food prep area and Julienne tried to piece together her thoughts. Nothing came to her so she just waited until Shem brought back the food, which she consumed completely and then belched loudly. She felt foolish, but she was still hungry so she asked for more.

_You should let that digest for a bit, he suggested. Let me show you what happened. _Once she had seen the entire vision, Julienne sat back and was lost in thought. He had not seen much but he had seen her kill a version of himself; he could not be happy about that.

_I can't recall anything that I saw there, she said. _

_Then it was a waste of time, he asked? _

_Hardly, even if all we get out of it was the vision you just showed me, it was well worth the trip, she said. _

_What, you wanted to know if you were capable of killing me, he asked?_

_Don't be petty, Shem, she said. And use your head. What did you say to me? Something about being the Emperor's tool to punish the Republic? Well, we knew, or I did, that something like that was possible going in. He is immensely powerful and psionic attacks or mind control should easily be within his capabilities. So we need to make sure he can't do that to you. _

_And how are you going to do that, he asked?_

_I'll be there to watch over you, she said. _The Emperor would not have Shemric; of that, Julienne was quite determined. She gave him gave him a too-sweet smile. _I'm gonna keep my good boy safe. _She then sent him a flow of affection that made tears come to his eyes. She nearly reproved him for his mushy sentimentality but decided that would ruin the moment.

_How are you going to protect me from an all-powerful being, he asked? _

_We will attack him with joined consciousness, she said. He won't be able to get to you without going through me. Of course, that assumes he can't break me as well, but we have to make some positive assumptions or this whole thing in futile. _She sat up out of her sleeping tube and noticed Shem's unfocused expression. _Why _am_ I sleeping naked in bed?_

_Well, that is a long story, my dear, but the short version is that we had no dry clothes and were in danger of hypothermia, so I stripped you down and dried you off before stuffing you in that tube. After that I carried you in it to keep you warm until we made it back to the ship. Your vessel's excellent med droid took care of the IV and the catheter. _

_Well, I can't blame you this time for getting me in trouble, but I can thank you once again for saving me from it, she said. Now how about getting me something else to eat?_

Shem chuckled and went off in search of more food.

* * *

"Is there a reason we are going to Kor Vella?" Shem asked as he noted the destination that Julienne had punched into the navicomputer. Kor Vella was a swank destination city in the Corellian System.

"Several, though for you and I, we are going to spend a day in a luxury hotel and then I am going to send you off to Tython," said Julienne. She had not told him that yet, but she still need to contact Darth Nocturne and bring Stryver in on the planning. She knew he would not be happy about it.

"Are you really leaving me again?" he asked."I thought we were in this to the end, this time."

"That time is not yet," she said. "I think I will have to meet you on Tython." That vision came back to her on occasion and often enough she would not discount it. She suspected they were going to have to bolster their force with as many Jedi as would agree to come.

"You are going to come to the Jedi Temple? That will be a sight," he mused.

"Please don't pine away without me, dearest," she said as she pulled back on the hyperdrive level and the stars blurred. "I am sending you back to Tython because I think that is as safe a place as any for you. Train hard. It is us or him now, Shem. I don't think either of us will survive much longer unless we eliminate him."

She said it so he would remain cautious, even in his familiar surroundings. The Emperor's reach was very long.

From Corellia, Julienne hired a private ship to take him directly to Tython with an android pilot that was known to see and hear nothing.

_I won't be long this time, dear, _she said at parting. _And remember that you need to keep all this to yourself_, she said. _The first thing your Grand Master should hear about this conflict with the Emperor needs to come from me. _

_As you say, _he agreed. _I will wait, _he said. _Maybe not patiently. _

She favored him with a smile and last kiss and then Shem boarded the ship she had chartered for him. It was time for Julienne to return to the Empire and meet with her allies. Bits and flashes of where and when came to her and she steeled herself for the danger ahead. It would not be long now. If there was one thing she was sure of from all she had seen, she knew they were nearing the final confrontation.


	18. Chapter 18 Final Measures

Chapter 18 Final measures

Julienne sat and mediated and tried to pretend that the waiting did not irritate her or that she was not concerned about the upcoming meeting. Arranging for both Darth Nocturne and Dao Stryver to meet had not been easy. She had assured each of them in turn of the others' commitment to the cause, but neither looked happy about meeting in an obscure location with questionable security. She knew it would have to do.

Stryver arrivedd first and declined to board her ship when she indicated that Nocturne had not yet arrived. Thirty tense minutes of waiting passed before the Sith appeared in a small interceptor and moved to dock with Julienne's ship. The Mando came as well and soon they were facing each other in a small room she had set up to handle the planning session.

Stryver declined to remove her helmet and Nocturne's hand never strayed too far from his lightsaber. It was not an auspicious beginning to a partnership, but Julienne pushed ahead.

"Lord Nocturne, have you any further information about any future planned meetings for the Dark Council?" she began.

"The Council does have scheduled meetings, but the problem is, the Emperor does not always attend," said Nocturne. "There is going to be an element of chance involved in our raid."

"Are there no occasions where we can be sure the Emperor will attend?" asked Julienne.

"Not with 100 percent surety, but Security meetings seem to be the most promising," said Nocturne. "That means in 10 days or 22 depending on how soon we want to make the attempt."

Julienne had been trying to get a closer sense for the timing, but she had not found anything in her memories to suggest a date. Nocturne was clearly looking at her and hoping she had something to go on. "I don't know which it should be," she said. "From a planning standpoint, can we be ready to go by the earlier date?"

Nocturne nodded. "I have slowly taken a number of craft offline over the past months. They are older models that were close to the end of their service life and won't be missed."

"We are attacking the Emperor in old junk?" said Stryver.

Nocturne did not appear to like the idea of the Mando joining the effort, but he replied calmly nonetheless. "The actual dropship was taken out first and has been heavily modified for our purposes. Extra armor has been added and it has been structurally reinforced to withstand the impact with the temple walls. I'll be riding in it myself, Stryver, so I don't fancy being crushed before we have a chance to do what is needed. "

Stryver seemed to accept this and lapsed into silence.

"I think that your idea to assault the front doors yourself and take in a team to shut down the shield and control the security post has merit," said Nocturne. "You will knock on the front door and then when the shields are shut off, we will break it down. That will also allow us to engage the security forces directly outside the council chambers first. This whole thing is for naught if you and the Jedi were to somehow die before we penetrate into the Emperor's audience room."

Julienne nodded and Nocturne continued. "I will provide a team to join you in the initial assault. I think some sort of diversion by you will suffice that allows my men to set up a cannon to take out the anti-air batteries on the front of the citadel. Then you go in and seize the control room and have them seal themselves in."

"Who will fly the dropship?" asked Stryver.

"My best pilot," said Nocturne. "He will be practicing in the modified ship so that there won't be any surprises. I would like you to provide escort as we enter the atmosphere and approach the citadel. The dropship does not have shields."

"Will it make a big enough hole for me to follow inside?" asked Stryver.

"If you are talking about the ship in which you arrived, no," said Nocturne.

Stryver nodded but who could say if he looked happy about it. The helmet hid everything.

Stryver and Nocturne began to argue details and timelines and Julienne left them to it. While the raid would not succeed without the initial attack, this part of the plan did not really worry Monikas. Shemric's part and willingness to attempt the assassination was what mattered. These others had left that in her hands but it was the part of the operation where risk could not be mitigated; either Shemric would be able to take on the Emperor with her help, or he would not. It was a very big question mark and Julienne had been surprised the others had trusted her enough to commit themselves and their resources. She hoped that Shemric was training hard.

When the other two wound down, they began working on a timeline and the precise timing that would be needed to succeed. Neither of them even mentioned how absurd some of the risks would be.

In the end, they parted having committed to the raid so Julienne could only let out a relieved breath and then followed Nocturne to his clandestine training base where his men were assembled. She met them and spent eight days training with them until she was comfortable with her part and the soldiers in turn were confident she would be able to deliver. Stryver appeared with his Mandos and the final simulation went just as planned.

Nocturne had left and then returned to participate in the training as well towards the end. When it was time to part, he met her one last time.

"We have done everything that can be done," he said. "You need to collect your Jedi and as many others as will come. We will be at the agreed point and proceed." Julienne nodded and turned away but then stopped when the Sith Lord spoke again.

"Does your Jedi really have a chance of doing this, Monikas?" asked Nocturne.

She met his eyes. She needed to sell this or their little coalition was going to dissolve. "I truly do not know, Lord Nocturne. I will tell you this; my visions of our successful mission now number at least as many as the failures. In the beginning it was one chance in ten. Now I think we are even."

Nocturne nodded. His trust in her visions had always been the cornerstone of their relationship.

"Then I will see you at the rally point," he said. He gave an odd half bow to her. "May the Gods of our Sith forefathers lead us to good fortune." He turned and walked away and Julienne let out a breath. As he had said those words and confirmed his participation the visions had deluged her and she saw details of the raid that had not been apparent to her.

_This is going to work, _she told herself. _Oh, Shemric, this really needs to work._

Oddly, her feelings of misgiving had dissipated. The fight she had dreaded for so long was here. There was nothing left to fear. She sat down at the controls of her ship and plotted the course to Tython. _I am coming, Shem._

When she pulled back on the hyperdrive, the stars blurred and new visions came to her; something she needed to do on Tython before leaving. A shout of laughter burst out of her. Shemric was going to find this amusing.


	19. Chapter 19 Tython

**3643-Tython**, the gates of the Jedi palace.

Standing calmly under the gaze of the Jedi guards should not have been easy, but now that she was actually here on Tython, Monikas felt an unusual sense of calm. Events were moving. Shem was coming to her.

When the Grand Master appeared, she did not approach Monikas, but simply stood at the top of the steps regarding her. He mental strength was considerable but she would not be able to glean anything from the Sith in front of her; Julienne's walls were too secure.

Shem arrived at a run and surveyed the assembled group quickly, before descending to meet her. He seemed overimpressed with her wearing full armor but there was something else there. Relief that she had come back to him.

_I told you I would come to you on Tython. It is time._

_So you did. Do I need to leave with you or is there more afoot here? he asked._

_I need to speak with your Grand Master. We need more allies. I have failed to gather more than a handful of Sith to oppose the Emperor and we are hunted even now. _

Shem nodded and turned to the grand master with a bow. "Grand Master Shan, my Lord Darth Monikas requests a moment of your time to discuss a matter of grave mutual importance."

Shan smiled and the other Jedi tensed. She gestured to the others then, and asked them to put the Temple on further alert. "Come then, Master Norm. Lord Monikas. Let us discuss this matter in private." The guards looked shocked but she gestured to Julienne to follow and turned to walk away. Julienne joined Shemric and they fell in step.

_Nice outfit, he said. Sexy and intimidating._

_I am glad you like it, she said. _Shem was feeling along their link to sense her emotions and it was impossible to keep him out. He knew how worried she was.

As they traveled further into the temple, they hardly noticed the astonished looks of the passers-by who stared openly at a Sith accompanying the grand master and Shemric. Finally, she spoke again.

_Will she listen, your Grand Master, asked Julienne?_

_I think she will, said Shem. She has always been quite amenable to persuasion if led to it. _

_She did not seem overly surprised to see me, said Julienne_

_We have discussed you._

_I told you not to mention this to her, she said sharply._

_Discussed you in a general sense, he amended. She senses that something is coming and did not want to be caught off guard._

In a few minutes they were at her office door and the guards there were clearly loath to let the Sith pass.

"Come," said Shan. "I sense an urgency about you. Let us discuss what needs to be discussed."

When they had sat across from each other on the low, hard chairs in her office, Julienne began without preamble.

"I have come to seek your help and that of the Jedi, Grand Master," she said. "There is a very great threat in the form of the Sith Emperor and I have put all the pieces in play that I can muster against him. Unfortunately, few among the Sith agree with me and I brought fewer than twenty allies with me. All Lords or very accomplished warriors, but we need more. We intend to assault the Emperor's citadel and bring an end to him."

Shan just looked at her for several long moments. The woman's thoughts were racing ahead of Julienne's words. "How do you plan to actually destroy the Emperor? He is said to have near-limitless power."

Julienne maintained her demeanor but was inwardly surprised at this knowledge. The woman's aura in the Force was substantial. Shem's mother came to mind. She would be a very formidable ally.

"Shemric is the key," said Julienne. "He can drain the Emperor's power so that he can be destroyed."

_That is your plan!? To use my parlor trick to destroy the most powerful being in the galaxy!_

_It is not a trick, said Julienne calmly. It is a gift. And you have been working to make it more effective. Hush now and calm yourself. She needs to see you confident._

"Shem tells me you have visions; have you seen this?" asked Shan.

_Now who has been sharing our secrets, asked Julienne with a raised eyebrow?_

_It came up. They were trying to understand us, said Shem. _Julienne's gave Shemric the equivalent of a metal snort before speaking aloud.

"If Shem told you that much, then he must have told you that he is outside my field of sight," said Julienne. "I cannot see him, but I believe that is what can and must happen. We must breach the outer perimeter, fight the Sith warriors and Lords he will have assembled and give Shem an opportunity to defeat him."

Shan considered first Julienne, then Shem for a few moments before nodding. "Very well, what do you need?"

Julienne's eyes widened. "Just like that?" She had expected more arguments. Especially since the woman seemed to have some sense of what they were facing.

"What did you expect Lord Monikas?" asked Shan.

Julienne snorted out loud this time. "I expected to fight my way out of the temple and maybe not even escape the planet."

"Was that a vision or a suspicion?" asked Shan.

"A suspicion," admitted Julienne.

"Well, I have expected something momentous for some time and I thought that Shem would be at the heart of it," said Shan. "So I ask again, what do you need?"

"As many Masters as will come with us on this raid," said Julienne. "I have not seen a great army. Just a handful, really."

"And you seem to be in a rush…" said Shan.

"The Emperor's agents have been tailing us closely," said Julienne. "I suspect they are even now contemplating what sort of incident it will provoke if they make planetfall and attack the Jedi Temple."

"Then give me thirty minutes," said Shan. "I will send word and try to persuade as many as I can. You have a ship, I assume?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Julienne.

"Then please, go with Shem and stay out of sight for a bit," said Shan. "Meet us on the front steps in 30 minutes."

"Thank you, I will," said Julienne, rising quickly and taking Shem's hand.

Julienne had limited his awareness of her until she reached out and took his hand. All at once they joined together and Shem's eyes went wide as her consciousness spread in his mind. He was trying to follow all the different possibilities she had been juggling and he was not prepared for it. _Stay with me, dear. We have something we need to do while they are discussing this. _She tugged him out of the room before he knew it and even the incredulous stares of the guards, Knights and Masters outside did little to shake his stupor. It was simple enough to pluck the location of his room out of his mind and she continued to tug him in that direction. _Come along, Shemric. Our time is short and I have no intension of wasting it. _

_Where are we going, he asked?_

_Your room, of course. I wish you to impregnate me before we leave. _That was the most important thing she had to accomplish here on Tython. In no possible future did they succeed unless she was with child. She had been carefully preparing for that possibility since the visions had shown her it must be.

Shemric stumbled but Julienne's grip on his arm was a vice.

_You want me to do what? _

Julienne nearly sighed. They really did not have a lot of time for this, but Shem was still reeling from seeing all the possible futures in her mind. Still, she needed to treat him carefully. Perhaps a bit of humor would help…

_Surely you have heard that babies come when men and women … " she began._

_I know that, but why now? What has gotten into you?_

_My imminent demise. Yours. Neither of us. Both of us. Failure. All of those things are possible, but success is also possible. If that is going to happen, I have to be with your child when we go to face him, she explained. _Her grip on his arm had not slackened, nor had her pace towards his room. _I must go to this fight with your child in my womb or we will fail. And don't ask me why! I have no idea. We have only one chance at this. _She nearly chuckled to herself. _Well, maybe two; she did give us 30 minutes after all. _She sensed his confusion but knew she had to end it quickly. _For once just do what you are told! _

Shem's mind was churning. It was not that hard to read his every thought while they were joined and his guard was down. Having a child with Julienne had been his greatest desire since nearly the beginning, but this rush was a little much for him. She had to be carrying his child for them to win? How was that going to help? What if he died? What if she was killed? This was madness.

Julienne knew she need to head this line of thinking off quickly. She jerked him to a stop took his face in her hands until he met her eyes under the shadow of her hood.

_Listen to me, Shemric! You have to trust me. Many things can happen now and I cannot predict all of them. Perhaps my desire to be the mother of your child is shading my visions. It has happened before. But it doesn't matter. I want this! There will be no time in the coming days and we need to focus on the mission. These may be the last 30 minutes in our lives where we can be alone. Together. I want to go into this fight knowing we started our family and protect that dream with everything that we have. I love you, Shemric. I always have, in my way, and I always will._

She let down her mental walls then and showed him everything, not from her visions but her desires and hopes for the future and her love for him. She knew it would be nearly as overwhelming as the other things he had seen, but he deserved it. His unfailing loyalty to her over the years was the single greatest reason they had a chance to succeed.

Of course, he started crying right there in the hall, but this time, she found it endearing, not annoying. He was Shem and he was hers if she could keep him safe.

He stepped closer and gave her a rib-cracking hug and kissed her soundly.

_Now, can we _go,_ said Julienne?_

_After you, my lady, _he said and kept a firm grip on her hand all the way to the room.

Julienne had wondered if she would feel different, knowing she held the beginnings of another life inside her body. She had hoped she would simply because she wanted to be confident they had succeeded. Any normal woman would have had to wait for days to find out, but Julienne did not have days; by this time tomorrow they would be assaulting the Emperor's citadel. She had no idea how she would know but she took her recent knowledge taught from the Jedi holocron and sank into a deep trance. She used it to become aware of her body in a way she had never before experienced. And then she waited. She had not the faintest idea what she was looking for so that when it came to her, it was so subtle she nearly missed it.

It was like a spark. _Something_ was there. It did not yet have a form or a voice but it was a Beginning. She smiled inwardly and slowly rose out of the trance to become aware of Shemric and the room around them. He was looking at her and she smiled at him.

"I think our time is about up," he said with regret.

"Well, we have done what we can," she said. She laughed then, for no reason she could pinpoint. Shem had that effect on her sometimes.

"Bet you can put on your armor faster than I can," she said.

"That won't even be a contest," he said laughing, and rolled off the small bed and threw open a foot locker that was the only piece of luggage in the room that was his. Despite his claim, she beat him by a wide margin and teased him for being slow.

"You have made us late," she said.

They jogged through the hall steadily until they arrived at the front doors to find less than a dozen Jedi waiting for them, including Master Shan. 

_Well that recruiting job went poorly, said Julienne. _

They approached the grand master who was flanked by a short being of a species Julienne did not recognize. In the Force, she felt like a female and Shemric obviously knew her well.

"Battlemaster Nofa, I hope you are well," said Shemric.

"As well as can be for one my age," said small Jedi. "Much better now that I get to meet your lovely Sith yum-yum," she cackled. Shan smiled wanly. To her horror, Julienne actually blushed. "Come now, young lady, take off that hood and let's have a look at you. I am quite fond of this young man and I should like to make sure he has not made a mistake."

The woman had a way about her that was both comforting and commanding and Julienne found herself obeying. The Jedi Nofa smiled broadly as she looked up at Julienne. "Oh, I see our dear Shemric was doomed from the start. Well, I hope you two know what you are doing." She elbowed Shem in the thigh and whispered so loudly that everyone could hear her. "She is quite the looker, your yum-yum. I guess I can hardly blame you." And then she offered a hand for Julienne to shake.

"Julienne, this is Battlemaster Nofa who is clearly pleased with her own cleverness," said Shem.

"It is a pleasure to meet someone who speaks their mind, for a change," said Julienne gravely.

"Well, it is a failing of the old," said Nofa. "So are we all going to die on this little adventure, do you think?"

"That is the most likely outcome," said Julienne.

Nofa cackled in amusement but Shem started. "Are _you_ coming, battlemaster?"

"I most certainly have volunteered," she said. "The others have, oh, about five more minutes to appear before we leave." She leaned closer to Julienne's leg and whispered. "I would not go telling the rest we are about to die. It is bad for morale."

"I will take that into consideration, ma'am," said Julienne. "However, there is some chance that we will win and survive. In fact, it seems to be increasing all the time. You see, it seems that Shem here managed to impregnate me a few minutes ago, even if it took him two tries. That was sort of important in my visions."

Nofa burst out laughing and slapped her knee several times while Shem looked away, his face on fire.

_Do we need to be sharing that with everyone, asked Shem?_

_It is good news; don't most newly expecting parents share that kind of thing, she said innocently?_

During the next five minutes their numbers increased dramatically as masters and a few knights hurried up in full battle gear. One of the last was an older master who actually winked at Shemric.

"I think that might be all we are going to get, grand master," said Nofa.

Julienne counted about two dozen.

_Is that going to be enough, Shem asked?_

_It is just about right, said Julienne. I have to admit though, this is going to be a small army to take on the might of the Empire. _

_Yeah, and that does not even consider how you think I am going to defeat him, said Shem. _

_Do not worry, my love, she said. We have to get there first. We might not even make it that far._

_Lovely, he muttered._

At that moment, the grand master stepped forward. "I am not going to make any sweeping speeches to motivate you, but I will thank you for coming. Your trust in me is appreciated. From now on, Lord Monikas will be running this mission and I will be following her orders." She nodded at Julienne as Shem heard some low murmuring. They did not seem to like that bit of news. Shem had not realized the grand master was coming until that moment.

"Grand Master Shan, are you sure it is a good idea for you to be leaving," asked Shem? Several of the masters nearby shook their heads and soon all were listening.

"I am not sure if it is good or bad, Master Norm, but if you are right, and we fail, nothing I will be doing here will matter," she said. "As such, I prefer to lend a hand."

Julienne called her ship's pilot and told him to come right to the temple steps. Less than five minutes later a Sith Dropship sped into view. She stepped forward quickly to address the group.

"My name is Julienne," she began. "Though I have earned the title of Sith Lord from years of hard work and sacrifice, much as you masters have, I do not expect you to use my title, if you prefer not. We are going to be joining a similar number of Sith Lords and warriors under my command who have equally volunteered for this mission. We all need to fight together to get through this and succeed, so please, think of them as patriots to their cause, much as you view yourselves, and treat them with respect, as they will treat you." She nodded and the dropship set down with the ramp already lowering.

They boarded quickly and strapped in before lifted off under heavy G's to speed skyward in a roar of rocket engines. Nofa had chosen to sit next to them, but it was impossible to speak amidst the engine noise. Her craggy face looked quite serene as they left the atmosphere and the ride smoothed out.  
"Two minutes to Jump," came a voice over the intercom. "Hold on tight. We have unfriendlies."

The ship lurched under cannon fire and then began to maneuver wildly as the pilot attempted to line up the jump to hyperspace while not being destroyed by the hostile ships. Shem looked across at Grand Master Shan whose eyes were closed and seemed to almost be sleeping. In a few moments the lurching stopped and in less than a minute they had jumped to hyperspace. Master Shan's eyes opened abruptly and Julienne if she had done something to affect the craft or pilots that were following them. Influencing someone's mind from a great distance was difficult, but Julienne thought she might have managed it had it occurred to her.

"You are free to get up and move around if need be," came the pilot's voice again. "This is going to be a short hop before we rendezvous with our other partners in this venture. Basic rations are in the bulkhead at the front. The head is in the back."

Julienne went forward to speak to the pilot and then returned shortly. Shem seemed surprised when she reached out and took his hand. _I appreciate your public displays of affection, dear, he said. _

Her mental sending was amused. _It matters very little what the others think of me anymore. After this, I will no longer be a Sith Lord, just as you will no longer be a Jedi Master. What we were is behind us now. I am sorry for making fun of you back on the temple steps. Our child is not a joke to me. It is our future and my hope is that we meet that future together. _

_I was just surprised. Women talk about anything to each other, he teased. _

_Well, your friend seemed to be in on our secrets and she had an entitled sort of way about her as if she deserved to know, said Julienne. _

_She has been my closest friend since I arrived on Tython, said Shem. I think she views me as the grandson she never had. _

_She seems sweet. Was she really the Battlemaster, asked Julienne?_

_Yes, she was, he said. Do not let her size fool you. She taught me a great deal and tested me even further. On another subject, who are we going to meet?_

Julienne shifted to meet his eyes and smile._ Why, your friend the Mandalorian Champion of course. And a few of his compatriots. _That surprised Shem. He had not thought the Mandalorians would get involved. _They did not. It is just the champion, Dao Stryver and a few others. They are providing a fighter escort and a few warriors to accompany us. _

"You two are giving me a headache, with all you mind-speaking," said Nofa abruptly. "Can we have a conversation like normal people?" Both Julienne and Shemric stopped abruptly to stare in surprise. Nofa rolled her eyes in a very human-like gesture that was even more effective when your eyes were the size of hers.

"Your pardon, Battlemaster Nofa," said Julienne. "We will try to keep things on a tighter string from now on. We don't mean to be a bother." It had not occurred to her that anyone would 'overhear.'

"You rousted me out of my stupor at the temple for the first time in years," said Nofa. "You are not a bother. But… it would be nice to have a conversation in the normal fashion."

"And what would you like to talk about Master Nofa?" asked Julienne politely.

"How about Nerf steaks?" said the Jawa. "It has been a long time since I had a really good Nerf steak."

Julienne wondered if the battlemaster just like to say things to see the reaction she received. Two could play that game. "And how do you like your Nerf cooked?" said Julienne.

"Oh, rare, of course," said Nofa. "Why scorch all that good meat?"

"I like mine a little more done, but I don't mind it a bit rare," said Julienne. "My father used to cook it a bit on one side and then the other and call it good. I used to tease him that his food was bleeding." Julienne took a sharp breath and covered her mouth in a gesture of surprise. "I have not thought about that in twenty years." Memories came flooding back to her of camping trips and fun times. Her parents had loved her dearly. And now she was going to cry in front of a ship full of Jedi and Sith warriors.

Nofa reached across Shemric to squeeze Julienne's knee. "That is a good memory to bring up. It helps us to remember the ones we love. Tell me then, what is your favorite memory of Shem, then?"

Julienne brought herself back to the present and considered the small woman's question. "Battlemaster, I have many memories of Shemric and for the most part, they are the only really happy or peaceful ones that I recall. I'm not sure I can separate out one. However, I will tell you his most positive trait; he is and has been unfailingly loyal to me since the day we met."

They chatted quietly for a time until Julienne was able to sit back and revisit that memory of camping with her parents. She had blocked out all memories of them and knew she needed to recall them. She was about to become a parent and she was terrified that she would not have the first clue how to begin.


	20. Chap 20 Dromund Kaas--Emperor's Citadel

**3643—Dromund Kaas **

_Cheer up, Shem, said Julienne. This is going to turn out well._

They were riding along in a non-descript space bus that looked vaguely enough like a troop transport that it would not excite any comment. Monikas could sense Shem's thoughts and knew he was very nervous. Oddly enough, she herself did not feel nervous, only afraid. Maybe there was not much difference.

_You promise, he replied? _

_Of course, she said. While I was on Coruscant I found a holocrom that was abandoned in the Jedi Temple almost like it was left just for me. The 'crom was an ancient Jedi psionic training course. The old Jedi inside searched my memories and found me worthy to continue, so I am probably the most advanced psionic in thousands of years. We are going to be fine._

She could sense that her words had calmed some of Shemric's fears. If only her own were so easily silenced.

"Five minutes, Lord Monikas," said Sergeant Sukwol. He was one of Nocturne's personal troops.

Monikas nodded and began to meditate. It was all coming to a close.

* * *

Monikas strode up the steps with Shem and her 'guard' in tow and tried not to admit to herself how much she was afraid of this moment. What should have been eager anticipation had become a silent dread. It was impossible to spend time with Shemric without reattaching to her feelings of happiness, warmth and human connection that came with him, but those feelings were not helpful here. Even knowing she was carrying Shemric's child was a liability. Each step up to the citadel's main gate felt like a march to her own destruction.

_The problem Julienne, Monikas-whichever you prefer-is that you, like Shemric, cannot see that you are not two different people. _The words were from Shemric's mother. _Julienne and Monikas are both you. You feel like you must be Julienne to be a loving companion to Shemric, and Monikas to be a brutal warrior capable of bringing death to your enemies. I promise, there will come a time when you can no longer be torn between the two sides of who you think you must be. _As she completed the last step, Julienne/Monikas finally understood. Today she had to be whole to destroy the Emperor and protect Shemric and her unborn child. What she called herself was irrelevant.

Julienne/Monikas slipped into Shemric's consciousness like the whisper of a breeze and joined with him.

_It is time, my dear, she said. _Monikas strode forward toward the open, but heavily guarded entrance. When a tall armored man stepped in front to bar her way she stopped and removed her hood. The unarmored clerk running the computer at the door saw her and his eyes widened alarmingly. Julienne reached out and blasted everyone before her off their feet and then leaped out of the way.

Sergeant Sukwol's team opened up on the weapons emplacements at the gate and then up above. Julienne sprinted forward as the armored doors began to close. She was through with Shem behind her long before they could bar her way. She strode into the guard control station where she ordered the personnel inside to shut down the defensive systems. It was a Force-enhanced suggestion backed by a look that promised death and they quickly complied.

Moments later, Sergeant Sukwol entered the center and herded the terrified personnel out of the room before setting his own people in their places. Two men remained outside manning the cannon. There was no need for Julienne to issue orders. The men began to shut down the orbital defensive shields and unmanned weaponry. One man made a call to the strike teams that should have been inbound already. Just over three minutes later, the citadel shook with the impact of the reinforced dropship breaching the outer wall.

"Nice work, Sergeant," said Julienne. "Seal yourself in and hold out as long as you can."

"Aye, my lord," he replied, without looking up.

_Come, Shemric, let us join the others, she said. _She strode out of the control room and ignited two red lightsabers. A subtle thought from Shem noted they were both of his manufacture.

_Of course they are, she said. _And then she ran off to follow the debris trail of the crash-landed dropship. They came upon the pitched battle that was already in progress, as red lightsabers clashed with blue and green and occasionally other red ones while the regular soldiers of the guard fired off blaster bolts at a furious pace. The Emperor's guard was arrayed in a rough semi-circle around the entrance to the Dark Council Chambers.

_Let's drop on them from above, said Julienne._

Shem took Julienne's arm and blasted off with his rocket pack to skip over the line of warriors and drop down amidst the defenders right at the now-sealed blast door. Shem applied his odd Force-absorbing ability to gather the momentum of their fall and use it to blast the guards in their vicinity when they landed.

_Keep them off me while I cut this open, she said. _She thrust into the alloy of the door with both sabers. It began to turn molten but the progress was slow until several other Jedi and Sith joined her. When there were five or six entry points, Julienne waved the others through and stood to the side. This was the plan, to have the others engage and distract the Dark Council members before she entered with Shem.

_Well, I have to say that everything has gone remarkably according to plan, my dear, said Julienne. Let us hope it continues. Just a few more moments … and, now! _Julienne ducked into a hole in the wall and felt Shemric following.

Monikas entered the Dark Council Chamber that she had only visited once before and immediately felt that overwhelming _presence_ of the Emperor. He was here and that meant that everything could still be accomplished. The council chamber itself was a war-zone with Sith, Jedi and Mandos engaging each other in deadly combat everywhere that could be seen. Monikas looked to the center to see the Emperor watching the conflict with an expression of anger on his face. Occasionally he would reach out and fire off blasts of lightning and concussion that overwhelmed any to whom it struck, but the combatants were so mixed up as to make it difficult to distinguish targets from a distance. That gave them a chance.

She could sense Shemric's feelings of horror and fear at the Darkside aura that drenched the entire council chamber and even his surprise that they were actually facing the Emperor. Monikas moved forward knowing Shem would follow and tried to skirt around several conflicts. Finally, there was no more avoiding it as Darth Ravage strode up and recognized her.

_I will take him, Shem, she said quickly. Go to the Emperor!_

Ravage tried to blast her with lightning, but she grounded it out on her blades and attacked him savagely. The surprise was evident on his ruined face as she drove him back into the center of the chamber and sensed Shemric leaping past her. She could see out of his eyes and knew he was approaching the Emperor, but needed most of her attention to survive her own fight. Ravage railed at her treachery and called her many names, but she continued to batter him with both sabers until he fell to his back, shocked that she had taken his blade hand. She ended him a moment later and then spun to where she knew Shemric stood. She thought he might have frozen there and almost called to him, but then he leaped at the Emperor and Monikas rushed to help.

With her connection to Shemric intact, it was not hard for her to 'hear' the Emperor as he intruded into Shemric's mind.

YOU HAVE AN UNCANNY KNACK FOR SURVIVAL, LITTLE JEDI. The words boomed in Julienne's mind and she thanked that ancient Jedi Master for her newly gained psionic skill and strength. She blunted the force of the words that were both communication and an attack.. AH, AND ONE OF MY OWN, A TRAITOR. I CANNOT SAY THAT YOUR RETURN IS WELCOME, MONIKAS.

She did not reply, but gripped and threw one of the Shem's Force javelins at the same moment she sensed him doing the same. The Emperor's eyes widened in surprise, but he swatted them aside with a derisive expression and then laughed.

IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE ANYONE TRIED TO ASSASINATE ME, he said. THAT ATTEMPT DID NOT WORK OUT VERY WELL FOR THE JEDI OR SITH IN QUESTION, EITHER. They pressed their attack while he spoke but he blasted them back with a pure Force sending that made Shem's eyes glaze over for a moment before Julienne slammed his consciousness back in his body.

_Do better, Shem, or this is not going to work, she cried at him. _

They continued to circle and attack with sabers while he kept them back with lightning and concussive blasts that should have sent them flying were Shemric not absorbing the energy and dissipating it. Julienne had also lashed out psionically several times only to be rebuffed. She sensed the crudity of the Emperor's skill, but he was so powerful it hardly mattered.

Julienne managed to circle behind him and they rushed the Emperor from both sides, but she felt herself be slammed as if hit by an invisible wall. She fell as she sensed Shem unleash all the pent-up Force energy at the Emperor. The man was surprised, but he rebuffed the attack and Monikas felt him gathering strength to crush Shem.

_This is the moment, Shemric, _came Julienne_. You must drain him. _

When the attack came, it was a discharge of pure Force energy and Shemric took it in and sent it back at the Emperor in the form of lightning. As he had done with Malgus, Julienne sensed him began to pull energy directly from the Emperor and use it to feed his assault further.

FOOL! THAT IS A NICE LITTLE TRICK, BUT YOU ARE STILL A MEANINGLESS INSECT NEXT TO ME.

Monikas felt the flow of power into Shemric cease and then it was rushing out of him like a river trying to fit through a hose. He would be drained if she could not help him.

_Shemric_. _Fight this, Shemric! He will suck _you_ empty until you cannot exist! _She felt along the connection she held with Shem and then used a portion of control over his mind to access his special talent. She felt the flow of power out of him slow but it was still the outrushing of great waters through a small break in the dam. They could not stop it. Even his fear for Julienne could not halt the flow. Shemric knew he was moments from ending and Julienne could do nothing.

_You don't have to win this fight on your own, Shemric. _The voice was not one that Julienne recognized but pure Force essence joined with them in the great tug of war and the flow of power out of Shemric lessened.

_You brought us to do this thing, _came Grand Master Shan's voice_. _Her presence caused the flow to slow considerably, but it was not enough.

_Then I guess you need some more help, came Nofa voice. _Or was it his mother and father? All the voices blended in their minds and suddenly the tug-of-war ceased. Or rather, the change of Force essence flow stopped and they were suspended in limbo, neither side moving or giving in.

YOU ARE ALL FOOLS! YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME. I WILL NOT BE UNDONE!

Julienne could sense the Emperor's fear. He was desperate and pulled harder; again the tugging resumed and the energy rushed out of them despite all the others' every effort against it. It was not going to be enough.

Julienne saw a small green streak converge with the Emperor and she saw it was Shem's friend, the tiny battlemaster Nofa. She drove her green saber into the Emperor's chest and his eyes widened in shock and pain for a moment before he reached out a hand to Nofa and made her … disappear, as if he had simply destroyed her at the most basic level. In the Force, Julienne felt her life force extinguish and then heard the faint whisper in their minds. _The Force is with you, my friend. _And then she bid Shem goodbye.

Monikas could sense the Emperor's fight to maintain his life essence even while his body failed and Shemric took his Force-energy. She lashed out with her mind and found the lessening link between the soul and body of this man who has lived long past his time. And then she severed it.

The power that rushed into Shem then brushed aside their connection like it was nothing and she lost the sense of his mind. She scrambled to find it in the flood of energy and felt as if she was climbing a waterfall using a rope. Julienne felt the link narrowing and it closed down to a fine thread of connection. She stopped then and realized she had been trying to force her way back into his mind. Instead, she relaxed and sank into a deeper psionic trance. She ignored the rush of energy and simply spoke to Shem in his mind.

_Shemric, she asked gently. _His thoughts were strange to her now, as if he was looking down on her from a great height.

WHO ARE YOU? he asked finally.

The intensity would have swept away her defense before her new training, but even then it felt like his thoughts were a ram against the doors of her mind.

_You know who I am, _she said.

Then he slapped away her psionic defenses as if they were nothing and began to rummage through her memories. She sensed his confusion. What was she? An enemy. A friend. A lover. An accomplice. She had brought him to this point in his existence. She was responsible in part for who he was.

WHAT DO YOU WANT? he replied.

_You seem to have lost your way, Shemric, said Julienne. Let me help you find your way back. _She tried to strengthen the thread of their connection but he pushed her away from himself easily.

_This is not what we came to do, Shemric, she said. _Julienne was gaining confidence now. Yes, he was very powerful, but she knew the mind better and she was more skilled. He slapped her away again but she went back quickly. _You have to find a way to disperse that power without destroying yourself and us all, she said. You can do it. I don't know how, but you do._

Shem was thinking thoughts that were beyond his ability to accomplish. He felt like he had the power to right the wrongs of the galaxy. He had power to make bad things stop happening. He had power to do … well, whatever he wished. Why would he give that up?

_This is not what you want to be, Shemric, she insisted._

STOP USING THAT NAME. I AM NOT … HIM, ANY LONGER. I AM MORE.

She cringed back for a moment but then struck again.

_It is not up to you to solve all the galaxy's problems, she sent. We must all make our own choices. We have done what we came to do. _

Despite everything, Monikas sensed that she was losing him to the feelings of omniscience and omnipotence he was experiencing. That was intolerable. She had not come this far to fail. She tried again.

_Think of our daughter, Shemric. Our daughter does not need an all-powerful being. She needs her father. _

She forced a vision into his mind of a man and a little girl. The man was swinging the girl about as she laughed and laughed until they both tumbled to the ground. _Daddy, daddy, again! cried the child. _She had dark hair that streamed behind her in the breeze and she looked at him with such … love?

It was a construct of her making, but Julienne knew it to be true.

WHO AM I? he asked.

_You are Shemric Norm. Man. Jedi. Friend. Lover. Spouse. Father. _She tried to send her love and affection along the link; as much as she could muster. _You are mine, Shemric. I have given my life to you. You need to set this thing down and take that life back. You need to find a way._

Julienne sensed his resistance. He did not want to come back.

_Daddy? _It was not so much a voice or a word as it was a sending of … something.

Julienne sensed it as Shemric did and it was not of her sending.

_Daddy? _

Julienne sensed Shem feeling along tentatively at the connection with the voice. He entered her and went through her to their unborn child and then out to a great network of other life connections.

_Julienne is right, Shemric, _came another voice. _This is not what you want to be. Find a way to put it down. _

That was not the child voice; Julienne thought it was Shem's mother.

_Use the power to find a way, Shemric, _Julienne sent again. And then Shem recognized her again and she felt their connection blossom as their shared consciences rushed together.

_I am glad you are back, Shemric, but you need to find a way out of this quickly, said Julienne. Your body cannot sustain this for very long. _

_I do not know what to do, he said._

_Well, do better, she said. _

Shemric sensed she was correct and he remembered the other voice. Use the power to find a way. He extended his senses into the roots of the planet. He felt along the unlimited pathways that connected all living things and he sensed a dying, groaning planet and its people that had been slowly drained to give the Emperor his power. It was wrong. Shem reached out to the trees and the water and the sky and poured his power into them until they were full of life again. He reached into the people and gave them hope. He reached down into the planet's core and fixed the damage there. He touched a million little things and made them whole. Flowers bloomed, small birds sang, water became pure and the sky became blue. For just a moment Julienne shared the connection with Shemric to millions of things and her mind strained at the enormity of it, but she sensed that he was overreaching and needed to pull him back.

_Enough, Shemric, said Julienne. You must leave something for yourself. _

Their connection was as strong as ever, but now their shared awareness was no more or less than it had ever been. It seemed a great loss, of a sudden.

_Daddy? _

Julienne knew it to be their daughter now, but shielded her from any further contact. Her spirit was too unformed yet to experience this.

A moment later she felt Shem let go and his consciousness fled far away.

Julienne sensed Shemric passing out but could do nothing to catch him. The entire exchange after the Emperor's death had taken mere heartbeats to accomplish and to an outside observer, Shem's Jedi friend had attacked fewer than five seconds earlier. However, with the death of the Emperor and the release of his pent-up Force energy, the atmosphere of the council chamber changed dramatically. Men and women who had been fighting stopped suddenly. The air felt … different.

Jedi and Sith who had been fighting stood back and eyed each other warily and then looked to the center of the chamber.

"The Emperor is destroyed," she said, and projected her voice so all could here. "What becomes of the Sith now is up to you, and others. Let us end this conflict." Warriors of all types began backing away from each other and checking their dead and wounded. Some looked stunned. Other faces held the triumph of success.

The Mandalorian Stryver landed close to Shemric and looked down at him.

"Did he survive?" she asked.

"His body is still alive," replied Julienne. She feared his mind may have fled away; she could not sense him in any way.

"Well, we can't have that," said Stryver and pulled a pistol to aim at Shemric's head.

Julienne was so shocked that she could not even react. In slow motion, she watched the Mando's finger compress on the trigger. Shem was going to be killed.

A metal object flashed out of nowhere and struck the warriors arm. The shot that would have discharged into Shem's head stuck the tile harmlessly.

Julienne's half-formed cry turned into a blast of air that sent the Mando tumbling. Mandalorians all over the room opened up on Jedi and Sith alike as Stryver came back to her feet and came blasting back toward Julienne and Shem.

"What are you doing?!" she shouted as she deflected blaster bolts back at the Mando champion.

"It is time to clean up all the Force-users and free the galaxy of their tyrannical rule!" shouted Stryver.

The attack was so unexpected that Julienne was barely reacting at all.

When other Mandos landed near her, she nearly took the head off the first who approached until he held up his hands. "Take care of Stryver!" yelled the man she knew as Wash. He began dragging Shem to cover as the other Mandos fought their own.

To finally destroy the Emperor and then have this happen was intolerable. Her anger pulsed and with it her fear for Shemric and their child increased. She took it in and stoked it and fed it into lightning that burst out of her hands in a nearly-solid line of pure energy that connected her for a fraction of a second to the flying Mando champion. When it touched Stryver, she exploded from the inside, her tissue vaporizing in an instant and what was left fell to the ground in a lifeless heap and did not move.

Julienne looked around to see that the Sith and Jedi had teamed up against the remaining Mandos. Under that intense onslaught, the fight ended quickly and again there was silence. Grand Master Shan mounted the dais and put a hand to Shemric's neck.

"You need to take him away quickly, Monikas," she said. "We will withdraw with you out the way we came. I don't know what that was with the Mandalorians, but your surviving Sith council members may get the same idea." She retrieved her saber and stood scanning the chamber before beckoning to several of the Jedi.

The man Julienne recognized as Panarch took her orders and gathered their dead and wounded. In a few moments, Nocturne and her old master approached very cautiously.

"So you managed to succeed, my old apprentice," said Acina. "What does that mean to the Empire?"

"A new start," said Julienne, but Acina laughed.

"Always so naïve," said Acina.

Nocturne was eyeing the two of them carefully.

"What do you intend now, Monikas?" he asked.

"I intend to leave," she said. "This was never about collecting power for myself."

Nocturne nodded but Acina laughed again.

"Do you think this is the end of the game? Do you think you can just quit?" said Acina.

Julienne stood up to her full height and gathered all her strength of character and the Force about her. "Do not come looking for me, Acina," she warned. "Do not underestimate my wrath if someone decides to attack my family."

Acina met her eyes in surprise and blinked several times as if she was trying to understand what she was seeing. She did not like it at all. She let out a derisive laugh and whirled to depart.

"Good luck, Monikas," said Nocturne quietly. "I can't see how you are going to escape the politics of this transition, but I wish you well." They nodded to each other and he, too, turned and walked away.

The Jedi were already carrying Shem away and she loped to catch up to them and keep an eye out for threats. They were done here and now the only question was whether or not Shem would ever wake up.

* * *

This concludes the story so far as it is complete, but if you wish to read the rest of the story of Monikas and Shemric then it continues in my other story Knights of the Old Republic: Unexpected Allies starting with chapter 41. I may post future chapters from Julienne's perspective but those chapters are as yet, unformed. Thanks for reading.


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